Redefining Good
by Corianin
Summary: The world has been saved from Meteor, and life returns to a semblance of normalcy. But who's to say Jenova is dead?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: So this is a story I began about six years ago and never finished. Then I broke up with my ex, and in the chaos of taking my stuff and taking off, I thought I'd lost this notebook forever. Saddened, I never tried to rewrite it because I knew I couldn't recreate the beginning to my standards, and I'd all but given up on it. Wonder of wonders, I was going through my file cabinet searching for the title to my car, and I saw this beat-up, ratty notebook laying in the bottom of the drawer... *cheers wildly* So now you all have to put up with me being a devoted Sephiroth junkie as well. :) Enjoy!

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(wake up)

The whispered voice seemed to come from far away, yet at the same time it was right beside his ear. He groaned soundlessly and tried to ignore the soft words.

(it's time)

Moving. He was moving. Somehow, somewhere. Yet he was in the same place. At least, the light shining on his closed eyelids never wavered or varied in intensity.

(open your eyes)

Soft command, he tried to block it out, to refuse to listen, but he seemed to have no will, no force of his own.

Mako-green eyes snapped open to stare into unending darkness. And the world exploded around him.

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She heard the crash a scant second before the cursing and quietly retreated to the kitchen to wash dishes. It would never do to have a dirty kitchen when he came home in a bad mood. Staring out the window as she washed, her mind drifted of its own accord back to peaceful times. The beginnings of AVALANCHE, the zeal and determination to make the world a better place, away from the exploitations of Shin-ra. Tending the 7th Heaven, with its various customers and old friends. Back before...well, before they saved the world and everything changed.

Lost in her happy recollections, she didn't hear the kitchen door open, didn't realize she wasn't alone anymore until she heard his quiet growl.

"Why the hell isn't dinner ready?" The cold tone, familiar yet frightening still, made her jump and whirl, dropping the plate she'd been holding. With a loud crash it shattered, covering her feet and the floor with a sheen of sparkling glass shards and sudsy water. She winced, not so much from the loss of the plate as from what would follow.

"Clumsy bitch." The slap came out of nowhere, and even as her head spun, disoriented, she thought how odd it was that drinking could affect his mood so very drastically yet never dull those lightning-quick SOLDIER reflexes of his. Shaking her head, she knelt on the floor, using her bare hands to wipe the mess into a sharp, bubbly pile. His second blow connected with the other side of her face, knocking her sideways with such force that she smacked her head on the cupboard door. As she started fading into unconsciousness, her tear- and pain-fogged vision could dimly make out his form as he started to unbuckle his pants. Oh well, she thought absently, I'm lucky today. At least I probably won't come around until he's done with me. As she felt his fingers yank her skirt up above her waist, the comforting blackness of oblivion mercifully enfolded her.

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Cold. It was cold. He could feel it seeping into his very soul, leeching his life away like a poison spell, bit by bit. His mind struggled against it even as his body

[I have a body?]

lay still and solid. Wait!

[wait, was that...]

He felt his finger move. Just a little, barely a twitch, but it proved

[I'm not dead!]

that he could still control his muscles. The cold seemed a separate entity, sensing his small triumph and redoubling its efforts to take him

[down]

away, to take over, to keep him from becoming

[what am I?]

himself once more. He fought, mind against cold, working his body, working his strength, feeling the cold nearly overtake him as he battled to regain himself, feeling it winning

[NO!]

then losing as he fought back more. His hand...he felt each and every finger and concentrated on moving it. Next, his other hand. Time seemed to crawl for him, slower and slower, and he had no concept

[hours? days? seconds? what matter?]

of how long he lay there as he fought with everything he had to break free of

[death]

the cold. His foot. His leg. He could lift his head. Each small movement brought him closer to victory, closer to triumph, closer to

[life]

his goal. Gathering his strength, knowing it would be his only hope, he made one last stand against

[death]

the cold. With a final shove, he forced himself back to light, to warmth.

[I WILL NOT DIE!]

He opened his eyes.

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Her head hurt immensely. Eyes still shut, she reached one limp hand over to the bottom shelf where she had hidden the last of her x-potions. With trembling, weak fingers, she tipped the flour canister over...and nearly wept. The canister was empty. Almost. At the bottom was a small vial, a potion. She knew it wouldn't help much but it would ease some of the pain, make it easier to move. It was a painful struggle to lift the vial to her split lips and drink. She felt its immediate effects wipe some of the soreness from her and, after a few more minutes she managed to work herself to a kneeling position and crawl up onto a chair. Gasping for breath she took stock of her condition. Her knees were encrusted with shards and splinters of glass, the dried blood cementing them to the cuts they had caused. She could feel the sharp, stabbing pain radiate upwards to her thighs and didn't have to look to know that she'd be having problems moving for a while. He'd been rougher than usual, and she could feel the start of numerous bruises on her legs and stomach. Her head still spun, but she made herself look around at her kitchen.

Pots and pans littered the floor, her good set of china broken amongst them like pebbles around boulders. Her few plants had been dashed from their pots, scattering dirt and foliage all over the room. The table was broken in two, and she was sitting on the only remaining chair, the rest having been turned into matchsticks and twigs. All in all, she supposed it could have been worse.

She looked out the kitchen window, noting that it was quite a bit darker than it had been before she passed out. He hadn't beaten her that badly since...well, since after the AVALANCHE reunion last year. Right after she told him, cheerfully and happy, that he was going to be a father. She shuddered, recalling how her announcement was met with revulsion and rage rather than the joyful exclamations she'd expected. She remembered her shock at his asking who the bastard was that knocked her up, because he knew it wasn't him. Accusing her of cheating, of reneging on their wedding vows, he'd stormed out of the house, only to return after midnight inebriated beyond belief and telling her he'd be damned if he would raise another man's child. Where he'd gotten his opinions she did not know, even now, but she remembered with detached clarity the events that followed. By the time he was finished with her, she didn't need to worry about raising a child, because there was no longer one to raise.

Fresh wetness on her hand made her realize she was crying, and had been sitting there for who knew how long. She started to move, telling herself over and over to get up off the chair, get the mess cleaned up, before he came home. That was when she happened to glance over the door. His sword, the Ultima, was no longer hanging on its hooks above the doorframe. Her crying regained strength, only from relief this time. Whenever he took his sword he was usually away for long weeks at a time. Sinking back into the chair, she sat watching the last fading light from the winter's sun disappear, sat there long after the room had turned black. She sat, and she dreamed.


	2. Chapter 2

(do you hear me?)  
The wind lashed his spiky blonde hair, whipped his cloak around him like a vengeful shroud. He kept walking.

(can you feel me?)  
He basked in the voice, tried to block out everything but his anger. His rage. It was all her fault. If she'd have learned how to be a wife rather than a warrior they wouldn't be having these problems right now. And if she'd have been a better warrior, if they all had been, Aeris would still be alive. He kept walking.

(I'm inside you.)  
The voice, that beautifully haunting voice, his one comfort right now. SHE was with him. SHE was the one who could help him get Aeris back. Still walking towards the moon, he opened his mind, felt the effects of the whiskey burn off like so much dry grass in a plains fire. Sober, cold, controlled, he reached his goal. The arms of the trees seemed to bow towards him.

(As well they might. They should revere us.)  
The moonlight barely filtered down to light his path, so thick was the canopy above. His enhanced vision needed no celestial aide, however, and he followed the barely-visible trail almost by instinct. He knew where he was headed. SHE was waiting for him there. As SHE always did.

(come to me, my love)  
The last few feet brought him into the clearing, and he stepped forward into the small pool. Every step brought the water higher and higher. He could feel the icy coldness seeping into his clothing, but SHE was with him. It did not effect him at all. With HER strength combined with his own Mako-enhanced qualities, nothing could harm him. His head slid under the water and he began to swim.

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Sparkly. She loved watching it glitter in the light. A nice acquisition, this, despite the odd feelings she felt radiating from it. Sighing with rapture, she lovingly placed the golden crystal into the slot in the center of her weapon. The four-pointed blade shone with a silver light, but the golden gem in the center burned with a glimmering beauty of its own. Oh, she would enjoy mastering this materia!

A knock at the door interrupted her interlude, and she growled beneath her breath as she strode to see who it was. When she flung the door open, however, her scowl changed immediately to a smile, and she threw herself at her guest.

"NANAKI!" The great red cat braced himself, and still was nearly thrown off off his paws when she came at him like a freight train. Laughing his feline chuckle, he affectionately swatted her shoulder with his tail, being careful not to scorch her hair.

"Hello to you as well, Yuffie. I'm glad to see you doing well." The ninja's grin split ear to ear.

"You have no idea HOW well! Come in! Get in here! I HAVE to show you my newest materia!" She ushered him into her house, shutting the door behind her before running over to the table to pick up her weapon. Holding it at the best angle, she let the light from the golden rock shine on his face.

"Isn't it beautiful?!" she murmured. She realized, after an unaccountably tense moment, that the admiration she'd expected to see in his eyes wasn't there. Instead, they were filled with something very akin to horror. Gut-wrenching horror at that. Slowly she put her weapon down, his reaction sparking a similar twisting feeling in her stomach.

"What...what is it? What's wrong?" Her normally loud voice had been replaced, to her chagrin, by a squeaking whisper, intensified as he slowly backed away from the table into the corner and stopped. His eyes flickered to her once, then back to her weapon.

"Where...did you get that materia, Yuffie?"

"Well, you know, I found it somewhere." She laughed nervously and turned away from him. "You know I always seem to find materia."

"Yuffie. Where?" His eyes bored into the back of her head. She stammered a bit.

"I don't really remember, Red. Honestly I don't."

"YUFFIE..." His normally deep growl dropped a few octaves, and she could sense if not see every strand of fur on his body standing straight out. But it wasn't the threat in his snarl that unnerved her, it was the obvious fear behind it. Nanaki was a smart creature, smarter than most humans she'd met. If he was scared...

"Okay, okay. It was...well, I kinda thought...now that Sephiroth's gone and all...and the planet's safe...well, remember how we went into the North Crater..." His tail slapped the ground hard in annoyance, sparks flicking from its tip, and she hurried with her explanation.

"So, I kinda went to Bone Village - remember that place? They have a new cook in the inn, and he makes the most DELICIOUS..." His snarl rebounded around the room. "Well, I guess I can tell you about that later. Anyway, remember the treasure hunters? Well, they...some of them, I mean...decided to head towards the crater and see if they could find anything. So I tagged along. It was really fun!" She gulped when she saw the stern look on his face.

"Yuffie. Where. Did. You. Get. That. Materia." She sat down in a chair, took a deep breath, and mumbled something he couldn't quite hear. He raised one eyebrow and she repeated it, not that much louder than before, but he caught it the second time.

"YOU WHAT?!!!"

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"Tifa? Ya in there?" Barrett's booming voice echoed through the house, startling her into total awareness. No! she thought, Not now! He can't visit now! Struggling, she tried to stand up off of the chair where she'd sat for hours on end. With a mild oath, she managed to balance herself on her own two feet, until the slamming of the front door shook her control and she collapsed in a heap amongst the litter of pans, plants, and dishes. Her eyes fluttered shut, and against her wishes, she knew she could not stand again so soon.

"HOLY SHIT!" In three steps, he was across the kitchen to her, scooping her up in his big arms and motioning Marlene to head to the living room. He'd deal with the mess later - right now, Tifa looked like death. Placing her gently on the couch, he barely noticed Marlene heading to the bathroom as he knelt beside Tifa, coaxing her to consciousness.

"C'mon, Tifa, come on back. It's okay, darlin', come on, open your eyes." He cajoled and pleaded with her until he saw her eyelids crack open for a few seconds, and watching her attempt to focus was one of the most painful experiences he'd ever had. Concentrating so hard on Tifa, he jumped, startled, when Marlene stepped beside him and pressed a cold, damp washcloth onto her forehead. Between his gentle persuasion and his daughter's equally tender ministrations, Tifa started coming around in just a few minutes. Disjointed, she wondered briefly what Barrett and Marlene were doing in the Lifestream with her, until her overworked mind kicked in and she realized not only wasn't she dead, but they were in her house, they'd seen...

"No!" she moaned, struggling to sit up. Marlene disappeared to the kitchen, coming back with a glass of cool water just as Barrett had steadied her against his arm so she could sit up. Wordlessly, she accepted the glass, sipping a few times to moisten her mouth, feeling the wetness burn the cuts in her lips and extinguish the fire that seemed to have been blazing in her throat.

"Are you okay, Tifa darlin'?" Barrett's intense voice washed over her, burying her in both comfort and shame. Her closest friend, the man who was like a brother to her, and the little girl she adored like a niece, finding her like this...it was too much to bear. Meaning to nod, she dropped her face to her hands and realized she was crying again. She felt Marlene climb up on the couch beside her and give her a hug, then both of them were enfolded in Barrett's grasp. Tifa sat there, feeling both humiliation and peace wash over her, one emotion an old friend, the other a sensation she'd long forgotten. She gave into both, and sobbed like a child who has finally found her way home.


	3. Chapter 3

"I didn't mean anything bad, honest! I just wanted to see what was there!" Yuffie was pacing like a caged tiger while Nanaki sat there, his flame-tipped tail swishing back and forth in agitation.

"So you went into the North Crater? And you brought back materia? UNKNOWN materia? Yuffie, did it not occur to you that your decision might not be the safest one?" His glaring had come in full force, along with the bristling of his fur and the low, almost inaudible constant growl rumbling in his chest. Did the foolish child have no idea what she had done?!

"It seemed like a good idea! Besides, what's wrong with that materia? It's beautiful! I've seen yellow, and blue...red, green, purple. Then there was the black materia and Holy. But I've never seen gold! I want to master it!" Yuffie moved towards the table, reaching for her weapon, but faster than she could have blocked, Nanaki flew through the air, landing lightly on his paws between her and the object she was after. She made as if to move past him, and the next thing she knew she was flat on her back with a *whoosh* that knocked the air out of her, one of the big cat's paws pinning her down like a butterfly on a board. She struggled, but he was easily twice her size, and from the looks of things, on the verge of full-fledged panic.

"YUFFIE! BE STILL!" She stilled, the tone of his voice cutting her soul to icy strips. Once he felt relatively certain she wasn't going anywhere, he lessened the pressure on her chest, lifting his paw up to allow her easier breathing. She coughed a couple of times but made no motion to get up. She didn't want to go through THAT experience again. So she laid there, finally having enough breath to speak.

"So what is wrong with the materia?" she muttered. Nanaki fixed her with a steely gaze.

"You mean, other than the essence of true evil seeping out of it?" he quipped. Yuffie blinked. Evil? She'd felt something a bit wrong, but she attributed it to having never seen materia of that sort before, and not being accustomed to its reaction. Unusual, definitely. But evil? Her puzzlement must have shown, for Nanaki sat back, allowing her to sit up. Wordlessly, he nodded his head at the table. On legs still unsteady from her recent flight across the room and her subsequent landing underneath a huge cat, she stood and looked at her weapon. And gasped in horror.

"I think...it's time to seek out the others," Nanaki pronounced gravely. With the sight of what used to be her Wind Slash in her eyes, Yuffie could only nod.

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Icy whispers on his skin. Frigid caresses traveling over his back, his legs, playing with the silvery length of his hair. He was freezing, immobile. Yet he was alive. He knew this, knew it with a certainty that warmed him even in the middle of the frozen wasteland. As he lay there, unable to move, he sensed he was not alone.

(never alone)

He moved, slowly and gently, each motion heaven and hell combined, until he was sitting up. Falling snowflakes teased his bare skin like a skilled lover, blazing icy-hot paths over his muscles as they landed and melted, running their crystalline trails over his smooth flesh.

(welcome back)

Back? Back where? Glancing around, snow stinging his eyes, he could not tell where he was. Something felt familiar, tickling the back of his mind...snow...mountains...he could faintly make out chocobo tracks in the distance. Familiar, yet he did not recognize it.

(don't you?)

Shelter. He had to find shelter or he would perish in this shining white wasteland. Unconsciously he chose a direction and began walking, the movement warming him even as the greater friction of the snow and wind against his naked skin burned like fire. One step. One step. One step. He didn't allow himself to think beyond one more step. Eventually he would get somewhere. The important thing, he felt somehow, was that he was moving. That he could move of his own accord. Dreams haunted him.

(were you dreaming?)

Darkness, coldness, draining his will. Somehow he survived. He'd be damned if he'd let a normal snowstorm kill him when he'd lived through...whatever that was.

(still stubborn)

It never occurred to him to question that inner voice. Somehow it was as much a part of him as his currently chilly appendages. It just was. Step. Again. Leaving calf-deep tracks in the snow, he kept moving. Climbing the hills and drifts were a struggle, but he felt exhilarated. He was alive to struggle. That in itself was a gift.

(you've learned much)

Grass. Coming down off the slope, he saw grass. And that meant there was warmer air ahead. Despite the cold seeping into his bones, he pushed on, refusing to be beaten. The grass crept closer...certainly he wasn't moving towards it. It felt as though he'd been walking in place for hours.

(seems like longer, does it not?)

The melting snow made footing slippery, and he nearly lost his balance more than once stepping out of the drifts and onto the soft, cold strands. A dark shape loomed ahead, and instinct kicked in. With the deadly silence of a bandersnatch, he leapt and sunk his fingers into...feathers? A startled "WARK!" preceded a rough shake that had him flying through the air and landing hard on the grass. He could hear the thunder of giant talons pounding the ground, and thought it prudent to roll out of the way. A split second later, the chocobo ran straight through the place he'd been laying a breath before, continuing off into the lessening snowfall to disappear from sight over the ridge.

(nice catch)

Feeling slightly sheepish for reasons he couldn't explain, he pushed himself to his feet, shaking the last of the snow out of his long hair. He could make out the shadowy shape of a building ahead, and his tired body grabbed onto the thought of shelter at long last. Coming up to the steps he noticed the windows were boarded shut, with some of the boards showing signs of prolonged weathering, being broken or cracked or worn. Still, it was better than staying outside. Making his way carefully across the treacherous, likely rotted porch, he pushed hard on the door and felt it give way, a loud cracking sound splitting the air as it did. Half-mad with exhaustion he stumbled inside, out of the biting wind, and nearly fell onto a pile of old straw. With what conscious thought remained to him, he burrowed into the middle of the pile and, curling up like a green-eyed cat, slipped swiftly into a deep, long sleep.

(sleep well)


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you feeling okay, Tifa?" She nodded weakly, ashamed and exhausted. He moved up on the couch beside her, and with Marlene snuggled against her other side she felt almost happy. Carefully, she took another sip of water. Barret's concern was obvious in his voice.

"What the hell happened? You look like shit. And someone got your kitchen all dirty." She could tell he was trying to lighten things up a bit, but she didn't feel lighthearted. She said nothing. He looked at her, then glanced around the living room. "Where's Cloud?"

Such a simple question. She should have been able to come up with an answer. But she froze like a chocobo in the path of a dune buggy. She could feel Barrett tense beside her, so she knew she had to say something.

"He's out...for a while...exploring, I think." Trying to sound nonchalant, and knowing she was failing, Tifa started babbling. "He heard about these new monsters that had been...rampaging, I guess, and went to see if he could find them and...stop them." It sounded lame, even to her ears, so she wasn't surprised in the least when Barrett pulled a handful of gil out of his pocket and sent Marlene to the store with a list of items to get that would take her a while to collect. As the girl headed out the door, Barrett reached over and tilted Tifa's chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"Did Cloud do this?" Her silence was answer enough for both of them. Regardless of how he held her head, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. "Tifa..." She glanced at him, and the pain she saw in his eyes, reflections of her own inner turmoil, had her resolve to not talk breaking down, bit by bit.

"He...he hasn't been the same...not since last spring, when we all got together." He released her chin, and she curled up in a ball on the couch, ignoring her body's protests at the movement. Barrett draped the cover from the back of the couch across her, and Tifa knew he'd spotted the bruises along her legs by the anger that suffused his face. He said nothing, however, and that gave her the strength to go on.

"The reunion was great. I had fun, I could tell he had fun. We were still in that newly-wed stage." Barrett chuckled, and she could tell he remembered how much they'd all enjoyed getting together. "About a month after that, when things were still going well, I found out I was pregnant." His eyes widened and he seemed about to speak, but she hurried on, staring out into space rather than facing the eyes of her best friend.

"He'd been going off at odd times, y'know, just up and wandering out. He told me when I asked that he was hunting and collecting money to build a stable in the back so we could have our own chocobos on the property. I didn't think anything of it, aside from the fact that he'd leave at odd hours. He always came home soaking wet, but I guess he was fighting water monsters. He was getting stronger, and better…I could tell when he practiced." She shrugged and continued.

"After about a week or two of that, I decided it was time to tell him. So I made dinner, set candles, the works, and he came in that night to a perfectly spotless house and a huge dinner. I was pleased with myself, and so happy. He asked what the occasion was, so I told him. And then he...changed."

"Changed? Whadda ya mean?" She shook her head and replied, her voice low and weary.

"Instead of Cloud being happy, like the Cloud I knew would have been, his face...it just...there was so much hatred radiating from him...I stepped back, away from him, and he snarled that he wasn't gong to raise another man's child. Then he stormed out."

"Another man's child? What he hell did that mean?! Was he sayin' you were cheatin' on him or somethin'?" Barrett seemed as offended as if it had been he himself accused of infidelity. Another time, Tifa would have found that greatly amusing, but now...now, she was so tired. She just wanted to finish talking to she could go to sleep. And when she woke up, if she woke up, well, she'd deal with everything then.

"I don't know what he meant. He yelled it at me and tore out the door. I didn't see him again until the next night. He'd...been drinking, and just...well, wasn't himself. It wasn't Cloud. Not the Cloud I knew anyway." Her voice faded towards the end and Barrett sat silently, waiting for her to get the strength to finish. Clearing her throat, she gathered herself and went on.

"He came in...muttering about how he was sick of me, how he wished it had been..." Sobs wracked her body suddenly, and she buried her face in the blanket for a few moments, feeling Barrett's hand rest on her shoulder in comfort and support.

"How he wished it had been what, Tifa?" he gently prodded.

"How he wished it had been me instead of her that died!" She lost what little control she had of her emotions, and she was still shaking and crying when Marlene came back from the store. The girl knelt beside the couch, stroking Tifa's hair until she looked up.

"Here, Aunt Tifa. I brought you something to help." She held out a glimmering green potion bottle, and Tifa recognized the elixir inside. Lifting her head, she wiped the blood from her chin where the scabs on her lips had broken open once more, and with trembling hands she took the elixir and drank it. Instantly the healing draught worked through her, and she experienced again the odd feeling of having skin grow together, bruises fade, and the complete and total mental and magical replenishment that came from the drink. A thousand times improved, she sat up straighter and gave Marlene a huge hug, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you, honey. Thank you so much." Placing the bottle on the ground, she looked at Barrett, who had stayed comfortingly silent the whole time. "After he said that, he...well, I lost the baby." Barrett cursed fluently for a few moments, causing Marlene's eyes to widen dramatically and even giving Tifa pause.

"That lousy, no good son of a bitch! I'll kill him for this! I'll rip his..." Tifa placed her hand on his arm, causing him to glance down at her. She made a discreet motion towards Marlene, and he swallowed what he was going to say. "...hair out." he finished bluntly. After a few minutes of silence, he turned back to Tifa.

"You should leave. Now, while he's gone." She shook her head sadly.

"I tried that once. He found me and...well, here I am." They all stared at the floor for ages, depressed silence coming over them. They knew that even combined they were not strong enough to take Cloud in a true battle, which is what it would be if he came home and found out what they'd been discussing. Her only chance was to go somewhere he would never think of looking. Suddenly, he jumped up.

"I've got it! Why don't you head to the Chocobo Sage's place?" Tifa looked at him, utterly and thoroughly puzzled. "C'mon, it's the perfect place! He won't even think to show his spikey head there. There'd be no reason to."

"But what if he took a chocobo to look for me like he did last time? He'd eventually make his way to the northern continent, and would have to stop somewhere for food for it."

"Not there, he wouldn't," Barrett reported smugly. At her blank look, he continued. "The Sage died over a year ago. You didn't know?" he asked, seeing her crestfallen expression.

"He was such a nice old man. Absent-minded, but sweet. No, I didn't know."

"And his ghost wouldn't mind at all if you decided to hide out in his shack for a while. Abandoned now. Probably half-collapsed, but I know you, you can fix it. It's as safe as you'll find anywhere." As if from a dream, Tifa's mind cleared. This sounded more like a fantasy than anything else, but right now, she needed that fantasy. It gave her something to hold to. Without even knowing she'd stood up she nodded at Barrett.

"Let me grab a few things."

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He didn't even have to gasp for breath when he surfaced, though being underwater that long would have killed anyone else. He walked forward onto the shore and up to the tree line with the same deliberate steps that had brought him this far. Water streamed off of him, but he never noticed. His entire being was focused on one thing...getting to HER.

Within the shadows of the forest it was cool, breezy, a condition that would have half-frozen most people walking along, dripping wet. He never stopped, never even slowed. Not until he reached the clearing. The wind in the trees was beautifully serene, and wasted on him, as he never noticed. His attention was focused wholly upon the glowing light before him.

SHE called to him. Walking into the light, the man who noticed nothing, felt nothing but anger and hatred and betrayal, was struck speechless by the beauty before him. After a wrenching moment, all too familiar yet still as breathtaking as the first time SHE called to him, he stepped forward into HER embrace.

He saw Aeris. SHE was calling to him, tempting him, letting him know SHE was the only one who could bring the young brunette back. And when SHE brought Aeris back, SHE would give her to him, provided he assisted HER in HER return. The planet was HERS by right and it was up to him and him alone to make it ready for HER when she finally arrived.

Bowing his head in sublime humility, he waited for HER words to wash over him, to cleanse his pain and to give him new life and new purpose. The glow filled the clearing, then was gone, leaving nothing behind but a rustle of leaves in the empty forest and a whisper of sorrow and doom on the air.


	5. Chapter 5

A wrench fell from above, followed by a loud stream of cursing, and everyone on the crew knew to mind their business and double up on the pace, because when the boss got mad, no one was exempt from his anger. Though it was most often directed at his wife - and primary assistant - the fallout could definitely be felt as low as the newest member of the team. So it was that when Cid came down the ladder, yelling for Shera and damning everything and everyone in sight, he saw nothing but seriously composed faces and busy hands. Just as it should be, he thought, which lessened his anger and frustration a bit. But he was careful not to let that show. Ease up on people and they'd soon walk all over for you.

"Shera, you addlebrained female, where the hell ARE you?" he bellowed, his voice echoing painfully in the cramped confines of the construction bunker. The braver ones winced. The rest showed no outward sign that they'd even heard Cid's loud voice ricochet through their skulls. All breathed a sigh of relief at the quiet that overcame the room when he went outside.

With his quick gait taking him the short distance from the rocket to the house in record time, it was only a few moments after his first yell that he was walking in the door. And there he stopped short, taking in the sight before him. Shera stood up on a chair, glasses halfway down the bridge of her nose, her slender body bowed as she hung curtains in his kitchen - their kitchen now. Sometimes lately Cid had found himself wondering exactly when he'd gotten married. The aftermath of the battle with Sephiroth/Jenova had left him so relieved that before he quite recalled doing so he had proposed to the woman now doing her best to make his previously functional house a beautiful and comfortable home. After a few minutes of standing there watching her, she turned and jumped off of the stool, landing lightly before she noticed him standing in the doorway. With one of the gestures he'd never really noticed until after they tied the knot, she pushed her glasses up with the heel of her hand and smiled at him.

"What do you think? A lot prettier, isn't it?" She bounced over to him and gave him a quick hug. Marriage had certainly made her happier, he mused, and stood there in their newly-curtained kitchen, his arms around the wife he still wasn't quite sure how he acquired. After a moment he realized how they would look to anyone coming in and gruffly cleared his throat.

"Didn't you hear me yelling for you? Nearly shouted myself hoarse." Shera, used to his exaggeration and his attitudes by now, just smiled.

"Yes, dear, I did. About the time I was on my tiptoes trying to brighten this kitchen. What did you want?" She giggled at the look on his face as he remembered how she had looked standing up their on that chair and shook her head. "Not right now. It's almost lunch break, and the crew..." She broke off as he stepped forward and nipped her neck.

"The crew can wait. They've got enough damned work to do right now that no one will notice if I pull the lunch bell ten minutes later than usual." And with that he scooped up his new wife - who was a pretty handy person to have around, though he'd be damned if he'd tell her that - and headed off to the back of the house. The floral curtains fluttered at the open window as if to wave at their passage.

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As dark as it was, the night was no hindrance to him. Silent as a panther, and twice as deadly, he picked his way through the forest towards the small village nestled in its outskirts. His cloak seemed almost to swim behind him, not flapping and blowing in the wind as most would, but smoothly shifting and dancing and making as little sound as the man who wore it. His dark hair was another matter, however, as it whipped and pranced with a life all its own, trying to defy the roots that attached it to his head, the length of it snapping and dodging in the wind.

Closing on the perimeter of the small group of houses - huts, rather - he slowed, becoming even more silent, and the small creatures of the forest didn't even hear him as he passed. He knew, though. He knew, and he hated what he was, what they had made him, those detestable men who committed such atrocities in the name of science. They had taken care of them, however...but it didn't take back all of the evil they had committed. It didn't give him back his life...or his Lucrecia. Snarling silently at the injustice of the world, fighting the internal war with himself that had been fought for ages and never won, he slowly lowered the scarf from around his face. As he stepped into the clearing, his darkness a shadowy contrast to the firelight's cheerful gleam, he buried his conscience by necessity and moved. After all, even monsters need to feed. A grim, humorless smile curved his full lips as he began his feast.

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The sensation of being awoken by inhaling dry, musty hay up his right nostril left a lot to be desired, and he sneezed himself awake violently, his sleep-fogged mind vowing vengeance on the creature that yanked him so rudely out of dreamland. Upon realizing the source of his untimely alertness, he felt an odd expression cross his aquiline features. It took him a few bleary moments to realize that he was smiling. How long had it been since he had performed that one simple act?

(too long, if you ask me)

Sitting up, completely functional now, his green gaze took in his surroundings. He'd apparently passed out cold in a former stable of some sort, having had enough of his common sense left at that point to bury himself in the hay for warmth. The rest of the building was dilapidated beyond belief, and he glanced around a bit apprehensively. The entire place looked to be able to fall down at any minute - apparently whoever had left here had done so without planning to return, or they would have taken better care of it. He stood up, wondering why it was that it felt so familiar,

(like a dream?)

like he'd been here before. He stopped, shaking the hay out of his long mane of hair, and thought seriously. Where was he?

(you know that)

For that matter, WHO was he?

(you know that too)

A thousand images came flooding into his mind, filling it like a lake fills a dry riverbed when the dam is broken. With a gasp he sank to his knees, overwhelmed by the force and intensity of the things he was seeing, not understanding half of them, feeling anger and remorse and shame color his countenance in rapid succession.

(slow down, don't try to see it all at once)

His mind caught and implemented the command before he had a chance to realize he'd been ordered, and suddenly he was getting one image only, standing out in his mind's eye like a red flag.

[what is this?]

He saw flames, a myriad flames, dancing and cavorting like demons from the underworld, consuming buildings and people with equally impersonal regard. Screams echoed inside his skull, deafening in their pain, their terror, their fear.

[I don't understand!]

(keep watching)

He saw a child, barely old enough to walk, crying for a mother who resembled nothing so much as living torch, shrieking in fear and pain as he rocketed towards her only to be held in the same deadly heated embrace as she.

[this is disastrous!]

(keep watching)

He watched in growing horror as a two-story building collapsed under the insignificant weight of the fire that devoured it, heard the muted, agonizing cries of those trapped inside, heard the even more awful silence that followed. The entire town was silent, save for the crackling and chattering of the happy flames, gossiping with themselves as they feasted upon the sorrow of dozens. And through the flames, untouched, unharmed,

[no]

silver hair blowing in a nonexistent wind,

[NO]

firelight gleaming off of the buckles that decorated his chest,

[it CAN'T be!]

the red-gold flickering reflected a thousand times in the razor-sharp blade that trailed behind him like a deadly tail...

[GODS FORGIVE ME!!!]

Outside, the snow continued to fall, the muffled thump of a body hitting the floor lost in an oblivion of purity. And the day descended truly into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Honey?"

"mmmrph."

"Honey..?"

"grrg."

"Cid, sweetie...your phone is ringing."

With a pillow-muffled growl, Cid reached over without raising his head and rummaged in the nightstand, choosing to ignore his wife's chuckles as she stood, stretched, and donned clothes to go out and ring the bell for the workers' lunch break. Placing the phone somewhere in the vicinity of his ear, he pressed the button and mumbled into the receiver.

"Hey, Cid, get your sorry ass up, you lazy bastard, and get the Highwind over here, pronto!"

"Barrett, you'd better have one HELL of a good reason for calling, or so help me Shiva I'll rip your balls off." The lack of a smartassed response from the black man had Cid suddenly sitting up. Something was very wrong. The tension in his friend's voice was all he needed to get off the bed and jump into his pants, trying to buckle them one-handed.

"It's a damn good reason...wish it wasn't...just...hell, man, I'm at Tifa's. Get over here. And make it quick." With that, the only other thing Cid heard was the click as Barrett hung up. Something was definitely up, and it wasn't a happy something, either. Pulling his shirt on as he scrambled into his shoes, he was halfway down the hallway in seconds screaming for Shera to get his gear together. She didn't question, hearing the urgency in his voice that went beyond his usual bluster. Efficient as she was, she had his pack and Venus Gospel in hand and was waiting by the door as he barreled towards her. He saw the question in her eyes and yelled over his shoulder as he was leaving.

"Something's wrong with Tifa, Barrett just told me I need to get the Highwind there NOW, I'll call you when I find out more." Shaking her head as his voice faded, she watched him climb the ladder with fear. This wasn't only about Tifa, her gut told her. All she could do was wait, and pray...and make herself as safe as possible. Resolved, she went back into the house to let the workers know that the shift was over for the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yuffie, your lack of organization appalls me." The big cat watched the little ninja rummage through a box for the umpteenth time, wishing fervently that he'd thought to bring his own PHS with him when he left the canyon. Now he was stuck watching helplessly as Yuffie scoured her little hut for hers.

"Mrrf...gbl...thhher..."

"I could understand you better if you'd take your head out of that box before you speak." The girl stood up and glared at the cosmoe.

"Fine. I'll just stand here and talk and forget all about trying to find my PHS and we can watch as that..." Her voice trailed off as they both glanced at the doorway into the other room, locked and barricaded. Her fiery temper fading immediately, she headed for her wardrobe once more. Feeling useless without hands, Nanaki stood and padded over to a dresser that was half-buried with clothing and materia chunks. The problem with the PHS, he thought, is that it had no definite scent. So he would have to rely solely on his vision, something difficult when there were a lot of places he couldn't get to, being not human as he was.

A thump from the other room stilled them both momentarily, and then sent them into a renewed fury of searching. A triumphant squeal from Yuffie pierced the big cat's sensitive ears and he winced. But as she'd just found her communication device, he thought he would avoid reprimanding her. For the moment.

"Who do we call, Red?"

"Cloud. That's probably the best place to start." He watched as she dialed, and they waited for someone to pick up the line.

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He watched the red swirl away in the flowing water like so much smoke in a windy sky. He'd left them enough to get through the winter, he knew, but it would be tight. If his future hunting was good as snow season hit, he would replace their livestock with whatever he could catch. Raising his scarf once more, he climbed out of the stream, the cold wind not even phasing him as he strode onto shore. In his soul, he knew the coming winter would be harsh, and the human part of him regretted deeply his desire for survival. Were it not for that instinct, he would have laid down to die long ago.

[Hell, man. Even saving the planet isn't enough to save you from yourself.]

He shrugged inwardly at his own thoughts, knowing there was nothing he was willing to do about them. He wasn't ready yet to give up on life, regardless of how pointless, violent, and repulsive it often was. But nor did he want to continue as he had been...robbing from small villages, hiding from every human he saw.

[Somehow, someway, there must be an easier way to cope with loss.]

His hand, of its own accord, slipped underneath his cloak and reached into a pocket. Pulling out the metallic transmitter, he fingered the buttons absently. Maybe he should drop in on one of the group. Just to escape, to clear his mind. Who would be least likely to mind an intrusion? He thought back to the last gathering, mentally replaying every reaction, every word, every conversation. Damning his own self doubt, he placed the PHS back into its pocket.

[Not yet. I won't be a burden to others. I'll go when I am stable enough to be company.]

Hair dancing like living creatures, he turned and set off through the forest to the waterfall and the cave he called home.


	7. Chapter 7

(you need to face yourself, you know)

Curled up into a ball on the hard floor, he tried to block the voice that was currently scolding him ever-so-gently.

[But I...that was...all those people...]

Shuddering like a freezing man, he refused to move. Let time take him back to the darkness. Something like him, a monster as he was a monster, had no reason or right to live.

(oh, grow up already. it's not about you this time.)

[But it is about me! How evil...how very evil would I have to be...to have done...to have killed all...and you say it's not about me!]

(yes. that's right. it is not about you. pull yourself together.)

The voice seemed to sigh in frustration. He remained silent.

(the greatest warrior of all time, and you are too cowardly to face your own past. fine, let it kill you again. but you will never have another chance.)

He felt the voice retreat, and in his misery and self-loathing he didn't think to ask until it was gone.

[Another chance? Another chance at what?]

The reply misted to him on a breath of dream.

(to make amends)

And no matter how he cajoled, how he begged or threatened, the voice was silent. In the end he climbed the stairs and lay next to the empty, cold fireplace, trying to find the lesson within the darkness.

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The two men stood looking with concern at the brunette as she stood by the rail, watching the land fly by beneath her. Unaware of their regard, her thoughts flew by as well, and though she seemed to be watching the scenery below, both of her friends knew she was truly seeing nothing but the inside of her own mind. Cid stepped forward to go try and comfort her, but was brought up short by a hand on his arm. A shake of Barrett's head and a nod towards the door brought the pilot around, and the two of them left the girl to her own deliberations as they headed down the stairs to the conference room. Once seated, doors firmly shut, Cid turned to Barrett.

"So Cloud did all that? Spikey-headed bastard. He'd better hope I never see him again. By the Ancients, I'll..." He was interrupted by the big man, who was speaking almost quietly, an odd thing for him.

"Do you remember when we were all together last year, and we went out in the plains to hunt down some critters for fun? 'Member how we were all amazed by the way Cloud handled his sword? By how effing strong he was? I don't think any of us would stand a chance against him, especially if Tifa's right and he's jus' been gettin' stronger." Both men stared at the surface of the table for an indeterminate length of time.

"So we're taking her to the Sage's old shack. Think she'll be okay there? I mean, if that asshole comes looking for her."

"I can't think why he'd even think of the Sage's place. Even if she didn't know the old coot died, he'd have had to, what with the birds and all that." The big man thought for a minute. "I don't like just leaving her there, but she shouldn't be easy to spot."

"Well, I could always go get Shera and we could stay with her," Cid offered. Barrett shook his head.

"The Highwind would be recognized. If we do this quick, no one should notice this big contraption flying over there. But if either of us stayed, that would kill her chances of hiding out until we find out what to do." He shook his head. "'Sides, it's not like Tifa's helpless. She'll be fine." He repeated himself a couple times, and Cid wondered just who he was trying to convince. Tifa and Barrett went way back, and Cid knew that if he himself was worried as all get out, Barrett had to be taking it so much worse. At that moment, the door opened and the object of their conversation walked in. Sitting down, she looked at them both. Silence ran around the table for a few minutes, while everyone tried to think of how to say what was on their mind without really saying anything.

"Thank you. Both." She sighed, and stared at the table much like they had been doing before she walked in. "I know it's all my fault, for letting this go so far. But I never thought he'd really hurt me. It's just, he's been through so much..." Her voice trailed off, and had she been looking up she would have seen both of her friends smother growls and curses.

"Ain't none of this your fault, Teef. You didn't start nothing." The quiet vehemence in Barrett's tone made her smile sadly.

"True, but I never stopped it either. I just...I guess I always thought he'd get better...you know, go back to being himself again. Not the stranger he's become."

"So, do you have any idea where he is right now? As much as I'd love to kill the little bastard, I don't think I want to risk running into him until we get you safe." After that, Cid thought, all's fair. Just have to make sure Tifa's out of harm's way first.

She shook her head. "Not a clue. He disappears sometimes for weeks, and I never know where to, or how long he'll be gone." The intercom crackled to life, startling them all.

"Sir, we're passing Bone Village. ETA to location five minutes." The three stood and looked at each other.

"Well, then, I guess that's it. Let's get you ready, girlie." And with that, Barrett led the way out of the room and up to the deck, the others following behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[hurry or you'll lose her]

Anger. Rage. He sprinted across the grass and stopped, noticing the open door, the lack of sound.

(SHE was right - she's gone)

He glared around the house, noting with disgust the mess and chaos that remained. Everything as it was when he left - except empty.

[How DARE she leave me! Stupid bitch!]

(you'll find her)

[Damn right I'll find her! She had no right to fucking leave.]

(you'll make her pay)

[Yes...yes...she will pay. She'll pay for her betrayal.]

(she belongs to you)

[What the hell does she think she's doing?]

The door shattered under the force as he slammed it behind him. He would find her. And he would have his vengeance. SHE had all but promised. And he knew he could trust in HER, more than anything else in the world. Definitely more than his lying, cheating bitch of a wife. And then, when she'd been punished for her deeds, he would be free once more to follow HER, to help HER, so SHE would reward him by granting him what he wanted most. By giving him Aeris. But first...

(Tifa, you will pay.)


	8. Chapter 8

"Nobody's answering. I'm gonna try Barrett." The ninja girl punched in a second set of numbers, and they could hear the ringing on the other end.

"What?" The voice was gruff, but Nanaki could hear that there was something wrong. Motioning for Yuffie to hold the phone down a bit, he spoke.

"Barrett, are you okay?" A thump from the other room shook the bureau that was blocking the door shut.

"Yes...no...what the hell is that noise?!"

"It's something you are not going to like. I'm with Yuffie, and we're going to try and get out of here and head towards Cloud's place. Try and gather everyone together - we've got to talk."

"Don't go to Cloud's!" The panic in the big man's voice stopped both girl and cat in their act of climbing out a window. "I'm with Cid in the Highwind. We'll come get you! Stay put!"

"No way, sucker!" Yuffie yelled. "This thing is going to eat us - we're getting the heck out of here NOW!" She jumped through the narrow opening and motioned for Nanaki to follow. "Meet us on the beach at Wutai! We'll try to hold it off until you get here!" A loud crash just as the cat scrambled out of the window let them know that the barricade finally met the end of its usefulness. As they sprinted across the field they could hear the moaning and screeching behind them increase as it realized its prey was escaping. Putting on an extra burst of speed, Yuffie panted into the phone.

"And make it quick, willya?!"

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The sky was dark and filled with falling snow by the time he rose from his depression-induced nap. Head pounding like it hadn't since long before

[I don't want to think of that]

he came back, he was uncomfortably aware of each and every movement he made. Determined, he set about ignoring the pains shooting through his temples and forced himself to focus on more immediate things, such as food.

[odd, I don't remember ever having to think about food before]

(that's because, this time around, you are human. genetically altered still, but human nonetheless, and prey to each strength, weakness, joy, and agony as is every other soul out there)

Quietly pondering this, he began a systematic evaluation of the building he was in. Exploration revealed a small bedroom containing a simply-built bed with a lumpy mattress, and a trunk, leather straps half-decayed, that held some roughly-made clothing; a tiny bathroom with a shower and toilet that appeared to be in working order, and a sink that did not; a functional if neglected kitchen, and two closets. Deciding on fulfilling the immediate needs, he determined that the bathroom was indeed working, taking an icy-cold shower and vowing to get some sort of heat hooked up and working for future use.

(so, planning on staying?)

He scoffed at the voice, a hint of his old sarcasm coming through.

[you have a better idea?]

No answer from the other voice, save what may have been a muted chuckle. He shook the cold water from his long hair and proceeded to examine the contents of the clothing trunk. A few threadbare shirts that fit passably well and a ragged pair of pants that ended just below his knees completed his ensemble, and within moments he was dressed and ready to face his next task. His stomach, as though to remind him of what that task might be, rumbled loudly.

(hungry?)

Seeing no necessity of response, he scavenged around the house some more, finding a pair of sandals that almost fit if one could ignore the cracked leather and worn soles. Donning these, he proceeded back to the kitchen, finding - as he expected - nothing edible.

[looks like I'm going hunting]

(don't you need something to hunt with?)

[since when have I needed more than my bare hands to end life?]

The bitterness was quickly becoming an integral part of him, and the other voice wisely said nothing further. Tightening the sandals one last time, he stepped out the door and into the snowy night.

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She was infinitely glad for the warm clothes she packed. Having lived in a more temperate climate for almost two years, she'd lost her tolerance for the extreme temperatures nature was capable of doling out.

[face it, Tifa girl, you're getting soft.]

Her small chuckle went unnoticed by her friends, involved as they were in relaying well-meant last minute instructions and advice.

"...and fer chrissakes', check in with someone once a week at least!"

"And if ya run into trouble," none of them mentioning what kind of trouble, as there was only one kind they knew of that she couldn't handle on her own, "get on the horn and we'll be here as fast as this crate can fly."

Nodding, she secured her equipment more tightly to her back and moved towards the rope ladder. They followed, and she gave them each a long hug before grasping the rope in both hands.

"Guys...thank you." She felt her eyes filling and had to blink quickly. "I don't know what I'd do without you." A chorus of muttered "aww, it wasn't nuthin'" and "you just be careful" greeted her thanks and made her smile. With a grin that was more confident and happy than she felt, she started down the ladder. Halfway down, she heard the distinctive ring of a PHS, but after determining it wasn't hers, she continued her descent. She was almost to the bottom when a stray breeze brought a chunk of conversation down to her.

"...don't...Cloud's...we'll...get..." Worried, she glanced up but saw Cid smiling down at her, so she jumped the last few feet to the snow beneath. Waving reassuringly, knowing they wouldn't leave if they didn't think she was comfortable, and not wanting to draw attention to herself or the airship, she turned away and began the chilly trek through the basin to the other side, where the grassy area and the small shack waited for her.


	9. Chapter 9

Barrett swore. "What the hell d'ya think the damn thief's gotten them into now?" Cid stayed quiet for a moment, flicking his cigarette over the edge and turning towards the door to the lower levels. As he reached for the handle, he turned back to regard the other man. A wry grin crossed his face.

"Does it matter? We gotta go save their sorry asses anyway." With a chuckle, Barrett followed the pilot down into the belly of the ship.

[Tifa's fine, and Marlene's probably having the time of her life at the chocobo farm. All's good.]

Feeling less assured than he thought he should feel, but determined to be confident for Tifa's sake, she swallowed his misgivings and headed towards the bridge as the airship picked up speed. The intercom crackled to life.

"Next stop, Wutai beach."

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As he'd subconsciously expected, he'd had absolutely no problems hunting weaponless. Forcing himself to dwell on the unpleasantness of the past, he compared his current physical abilities to his former ones. Still inhumanly strong and swift, nonetheless he was hardly up to par with the skills he'd previously possessed.

[I suppose I really am human this time.]

(human, yes. mako-enhanced, but human.)

The voice paused, then continued with marked hesitancy.

(you are now the person you would have been had Jenova not dug her talons into you)

In silence he deliberated this, staying both physically and mentally still for long enough that the snow he was standing on began to melt beneath him. Finally, he shifted his brace of winter pheasants and, blinking gently to dislodge the tiny snowflakes from his platinum lashes, made his way back over the high, steep hills to the cabin he called his temporary home.

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(cold. she is cold. I can feel it.)

He pushed on at a steady pace that would have broken a chocobo, yet was not even panting, showing less than the slightest bit of strain or exertion. She would have needed transport no matter where she went, and logic demanded that the traitorous bitch would have headed to the nearest, most convenient place to secure such.

[the ranch]

(she will not escape you. not now.)

[not EVER]

The vehemence in his tone seemed to startle even HER into silence. Breaking into a jog, he covered the distance effortlessly, with only the light of the stars to guide.

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~three days earlier~

(Vincent...)

Her soft voice carried, even in his dreams, and he felt himself turning his mind's eye towards it.

(Vincent, they need you...)

[Lucrecia, my love...is it really you?]

Loathe to lose her to reality, he exerted his not-inconsiderable mental control to stay just below wakefulness.

(Go to Wutai...)

[Wutai? Why?]

(...they need you...)

Her voice began to fade and he strained to hear her.

[Lucrecia! Don't leave me! LUCRECIA!!]

He awoke with a shout, the only sounds he heard those of the waterfall and the lake beyond.

[Wutai. She said to go to Wutai.]

Without further thought he rose soundlessly and started off on the multi-continental journey his beloved had pointed him towards.


	10. Chapter 10

She surveyed the scene with mingled sorrow, amusement, and determination. Standing in the deceased Sage's living room, Tifa put her pack and bedroll down on the floor and made a slow circuit of her new environment. Everything was cold, abandoned, as though the death of the addled old man had leeched the life and warmth from the surroundings.

[Barrett was right - if Cloud knows the Sage is gone, he'll never even consider this place.]

Slightly comforted, she set off to explore the rest of the house. She'd only ever glimpsed the main room of the small home during previous visits.

The bed looked downright uncomfortable, and she made it her first order of business to yank the mattress off and toss it in the far corner. Walking back out to her supplies, she grabbed her bedroll and pack and returned to the bedroom. After setting her bag down and unrolling her blankets in their new place on the simple wooden frame, she sat down to test the feel.

[Not too bad. I can live with this. Now...to see what the rest of the house looks like.]

Walking into the bathroom she noticed water dripping steadily, if slowly, from the showerhead.

[Good thing, too, or the pipes probably would've frozen.]

She left it dripping and wandered into the kitchen. Sighing at the state of disrepair, she debated whether or not to straighten things now or get some rest. Sleep wins, she thought as she walked back to the bedroom, noticing that the door was so warped as to only close partway.

[Yes, tomorrow is definitely early enough to get a start on this place.]

She gratefully shrugged out of her day clothes, the ones she'd been in since that morning, and slipped into a fuzzy, oversized button-up sleepshirt. With quick, familiar motions she wrapped her hair up in a loose bun to keep it out of her face as she slept. Thus attired, she stretched and fell onto the bed, burrowing under the covers and letting her drowsy eyes close. Her last real glimpse of the room noticed an open wooden trunk whose contents looked remarkably less weatherworn than the rest of the place. At that thought, though, her brain finally shut down and threw her into a dreamless, painless sleep.

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Yuffie panted, her breath coming in short gasps as she ran. Beside her ran the big cat, slightly better off but still winded. They could no longer hear their pursuer, and a quick glance back at the tree line they'd recently exited showed that it had still not yet found their trail through the dense undergrowth of the forest, as it had not yet emerged. Torn between the desire to put as much space as possible between themselves and the monstrosity, and their bodies' crucial need to rest, they compromised, slowing to a jog that, while conserving energy, still allowed them to increase their head start.

"Red..." Yuffie gasped, trying hard to find the breath to speak coherently. "tell me...again...why we're...running...away from the...village...and the other...fighters there..?"

Having a similar problem catching his breath, Nanaki loped along beside her, gathering the energy to speak. "Because no matter...how good they are...to lead this thing...to...to them...would be a...slaughter." He glanced at his companion, knowing she wanted to say something else but understanding she couldn't keep going much longer. A flick of his head indicated the rocks a short distance in front of them. Comprehension showed on her weary features and they pushed themselves to an all-out run towards the rocks and at least temporary safety.

Reaching their planned stopping point, girl and cat struggled onto one of the larger rocks and collapsed, facing the woods. They knew the thing would be coming for them, so wordlessly they agreed to sit and watch the trees. Nanaki caught his breath first.

"Yuffie, call Barrett and see how close they are." She nodded wearily and reached into a pocket, only to come up empty handed. A look of alarm crossed her face as she quickly searched all of her other pouches and folds. With distress marring her usually mischievous features, she shook her head.

"It must've fallen...out while we were...running..." They both looked out over the grassland in vain hopes of seeing anything, as the grass was too high to allow them to tell if the phone-like contraption was laying out there anywhere.

"So, now what, Red?" The cosmoe never took his eyes from the trees.

"Now we wait...and hope they get to us before it does."

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"Reeve here."

"Hello, Reeve."

"Vincent?" The Shin-Ra president leaned back in his chair, pleased to have some sort of distraction from the endless loads of paperwork that seemed to reproduce like rabbits every time he looked away. However, he wondered why the reclusive ex-Turk would call him, now, of all people and all times.

"Reeve, something has come up...I need to get to Wutai as fast as possible." Most likely hearing the question in Reeve's silence, the normally taciturn man quickly explained the dream he'd had and the sense of foreboding that had prompted him to call for assistance rather than making his own way to the remote island town. Reeve listened, not speaking, until Vincent was done. He nodded once to himself and began typing furiously on the keypad in front of him.

"Not a problem, my friend. Where did you say you were?" Reeve's fingers danced over a few more keys as Vincent relayed his location. "Just sit tight there for a few moments. I've got Cait bringing two of my fastest black chocobos to you."

"Thank you sincerely, Reeve...Cait Sith?" The question from the other end of the phone was unmistakable and Reeve chuckled to himself.

"I'd come along in person but I am currently being strangled by yards of red tape. So instead I'll do what I can to help. Besides," he continued, "you don't have any idea what you may run into over there. An extra bit of fighting ability might come in handy."

"True. Thank you again, Reeve." The click on the other end of the line was the only signal that Vincent had hung up. With his customary efficiency, Reeve activated his interactive Cait-cam and turned back to finish what work he could complete before the stuffed cat and moogle reached the rendezvous with Vincent. Somehow he had the feeling that he'd not have a lot of time to tidy up the paper trail once they set off for Wutai.


	11. Chapter 11

"Do you see them?" The pilot shook his head and both men continued scanning the ground below. There had been no mistaking the distress in Yuffie's call - in fact, Barrett thought absently, if he and Cid hadn't both been convinced that something was terribly wrong, they'd still be hanging out with Tifa and making sure all was okay at the cabin. Cid seemed to sense the other man's worry.

"Tifa's a helluva fighter. She'll be fine." Cid was glad Barrett nodded without turning around, as he had the sinking feeling that the confidence in his voice did not extend to his facial expression. With a sigh he squinted at the beach, looking for any sign of diminutive ninja or red cosmoe. Barrett's cursing yelp caused the pilot to nearly choke on his cigarette. Pitching the offending tobacco stick over the side, he rushed across the deck to where the big man was standing, yelling for the ship to land and land fast.

"What the hell are you yel-HOLY SHIT!" Part of Cid was glad he'd already tossed his cigarette away, otherwise it would have probably fallen out of his shock-dropped jaw and set his foot on fire. "Land the ship you fucking morons!!!" In rapt impatience they stood as the ship lowered swiftly, wondering if it would be quick enough to save their friends from the towering nightmare that had broken out of the forest and was running straight towards them.

The Highwind was still landing when Barrett threw the rope ladder over the side and leaped after it, catching hold as he fell past it and all but jumping down the rest of the way, only to launch himself off of it when it was still more than ten feet off the ground. Muttering about stupid hero wannabes, Cid followed at a safer pace and caught up with the black man, and the two of them hauled ass across the beach to their obviously exhausted companions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The dark shadow of the cabin showed easily against the pristine backdrop and he aimed straight for it, ignoring drifts and hollows beneath his cold feet. Details stood out easily to his vision, exceptional even in the starlit darkness that had descended as he'd been procuring dinner.

[hmmmm...the front door is open]

Suspicion deeply rooted in his soul gave him pause, but a moment later he dismissed it as being of no consequence. The snow was unblemished with prints, there was no malevolence lingering in the air. Chuckling at his own paranoia, deserved though it may be, he resumed his trek through the soft whiteness to the dubious shelter of the cabin. He shut the door behind him as he entered, feeling it close with a bit of difficulty. Crouching, he inspected it.

[the wood is warped - no wonder it popped open on its own]

Never noticing the conspicuous silence of the voice in his head, he searched until he found a splintered bit of wood that he jammed between door and floor to prevent the delinquent thing from opening itself again. Barely giving cursory consideration to the damp spots on floor and stairs, and then only to add a leaky ceiling to his mental list of projects to complete as soon as possible, he and his dinner knelt beside the ancient fireplace. A cursory check showed that, whatever the general state of disrepair the cabin was in, the chimney was relatively sound and unblocked.

[now, for a fire]

He turned his full attention to gathering what fuel he could, mostly bits and pieces of old furniture, and a couple handfuls of hay for kindling. A nicely stacked pile of burnable material later, and he found himself perplexed.

[Okay...now, how do I light this?]

(some General YOU are)

The sarcastic, amused voice, breaking into his thoughts once more, brought his attention it its earlier absence.

[Instead of making fun of me, you could actually attempt to be useful - like giving me possibly helpful suggestions.]

A laugh greeted his comment, but he suddenly had the odd, yet undeniable urge to check the mantelpiece. Nothing on top obviously, and his skilled fingers failed to find anything hidden underneath. Running his hands over the dust-covered stonework, he was shocked into total awareness as a tingle in his fingertips alerted him to the presence of a stone that was different from the rest. Looking closely, he noticed a smooth, greenish rock embedded in the structure of the mantelpiece itself.

[Fire materia? Now, I'm not sure if that is incredible cleverness or downright idiocy.]

A cursory exam revealed that it was a young materia, hardly good for generating more than a brief flame. He understood immediately. Focusing on the drier bits of straw, he traced his finger over the smooth stone, channeling a small jolt of power into it. The spark that followed would hardly have melted snow, but it was just enough to catch the hay on fire. He babied the newborn flames as he silently thanked whoever had the foresight to build such a useful fireplace. Within moments he had a cheery fire dancing on the pile of wood and material, and felt confident in turning his full attention to dressing the birds he had caught.

Some little time later, he had three makeshift wooden spits filled with wild pheasants, and the aroma was making his mouth water. Checking one bird, he determined that there was still a bit of time left before they would be done to perfection.

(well, as close as one can get to perfection with the materials on hand)

[I haven't cooked in years. No wonder I'm a little rusty.]

He would have probably gotten more defensive than he did except he was too hungry to truly take offense. Reaching out to sample a bite of the almost-done fowl, he stopped dead at a noise from behind him. The voice had a markedly dry tone when it piped up.

(good thing you caught so many. we seem to have company.)

Turning quickly, he found himself staring in shock at a very startled, sleepy, under-dressed brunette. His voice, so long unused, came out not in the commanding shout he'd intended but in a cracked whisper.

"Lockheart..."

Her eyes opened even wider as she truly took in what she was seeing. Poised between attack and flight, her own voice was as stunned as his had been.

"Sephiroth..."


	12. Chapter 12

Their attacks seemed not even to be phasing the creature still advancing on their two friends, crouched in exhaustion on the rocks.

"We're like fucking sand fleas to an adamantoise here!" Cid yelled as he and Barrett tried to distract it and turn its attention towards themselves, giving the other two a chance to escape as they were obviously not in any shape to defend themselves.

"Flank the ugly motherfucker! Get to the side!" Shrugging mentally, Cid raced to the creature's left as Barrett ran hell-bent to its right. The big man spared not a glance, trusting the pilot to hold his own as he fired round after round into the thing's metallic hide.

[son of a bitch, I may as well be petting the damn thing!]

It crept closer, its movements slow, but its great shuffling steps covered yards at a time. For all of its lethargic movements, it made very swift progress towards its destination, and the humans were only able to pace it by running full speed. Barrett prayed it wouldn't suddenly decide to speed up because he knew they'd never catch it if it did.

[it's almost to the rock!]

Cid hated feeling helpless, but as he slashed and jabbed at the creature's apparently impervious skin, that was exactly how he felt. He watched everything running in slow motion as it raced for Yuffie and Nanaki, and he was hit with a sudden flash of inspiration.

"Split up, you two, and run like hell!" Praying they listened, he turned his full attention back to the monster, continuing to add his attacks to Barrett's in the hopes that something - anything - would work.

Nanaki heard Cid's yell. "Yuffie, I know you're tired, but we have to split up and run as fast as possible in opposite directions." The worn out girl nodded once and, drawing on stores of strength bolstered and created mostly by fear, they took off running away from one another. Looking over his shoulder, the cat realized the creature had absolutely no interest in him. He quickly spun around and joined with the other two in trying to dissuade the thing from its main prey - Yuffie. Drawing on the few materia he had equipped and attacking with every bit of power he had, he prayed silently to the Ancients.

[please, give her the strength to keep running]

Panting and snarling, he redoubled his efforts.

-------------------------------------

"So you have no idea what we may be heading into." The stuffed moogle with its talking, dancing feline headpiece bouncing along gracelessly on the back of a chocobo would have looked ridiculous had Vincent been of a mind to be amused. Instead, as the miles raced by courtesy of the fleet-footed birds, he was getting more and more apprehensive about what may be awaiting them at the end of their journey.

"Not a clue. But whatever it may be, I feel we'll need every edge we've got to deal with it." He mentally released his death grip on his inner self and felt the beast within roar in triumph. Glancing at his traveling companion as they raced their way over the last stretch of water before their goal, he noticed the cat checking its megaphone, the moogle toy flexing its overstuffed arms in a motion that some enemies thought would be more comical than deadly. Vincent held no such illusions, having fought at the mechanical creature's side more than once and knowing how very damaging those slapstick moves could be. The coastline of Wutai appeared on the horizon and sped towards them. One last look at his partner, receiving a similar glance in return, and Vincent spurred his chocobo to an even greater speed. The urgency was throbbing in his head like a pulse; he could feel it telling him to go faster still. Reeve had chosen their mounts well, however, and they sped over land and water with deceptive ease. What the two continental voyagers saw, however, froze them for the eternally long space of a heartbeat. Yuffie, on the verge of apparent collapse, was pelting down the sand towards them, and right behind her...

"What in the name of...what IS that THING?!" The cat's intended exclamation came out as more of a squeak as back in the relative safety of his office, Reeve dropped his coffee all over a mound of receipts. It was a measure of his shock that the meticulous man never even noticed.

Vincent froze for less than a second. A swift command to his chocobo and he was within arms reach of the terrified ninja. He closed his claw around her upper arm, for once thankful for the damned device, and swung her easily to rest in front of him on the bird. The golden-skinned beast chasing her let out a squeal of pure soul-rending rage as the bird placed its S-class speed at its riders' disposal, carrying them out of danger faster than danger could even hope to pursue. It stopped, keening in anger, three feet from a certain stuffed duo on a very nervous bird. Cait Sith looked straight up...and up...and up...

Back in his office in Shin-Ra headquarters, Reeve felt his eyes try to roll back in their sockets and forced himself to stay alert. He was going to need every ounce of skill to fight this thing. They all would.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're just the most beautiful baby chocobo, aren't you?" The whispers of a little girl mingled happily with the "week-ing" sounds of the softly feathered, newly-hatched offspring of Choco Billy's prized pair. She giggled as the baby bird nipped her fingers, tickling rather than hurting. The proud mother stood towards the side of the stall, enjoying the attention and praise lavished on her by her keeper as much as her long-awaited fledgling reveled in the regard of the girl who was currently petting its silky golden feathers.

"Ya did a good job, Killey. That's a perfect baby chocobo." Billy handed a clump of fresh sylkis greens to the big bird and smiled as she chewed happily while gazing as much at her caring owner as she did her baby.

Marlene giggled at the little chocobo's antics as it endeavored to have its wobbly legs obey its command to stand. She was worried about her daddy, and Aunt Tifa, but they'd told her everything would be okay, and then Daddy had asked Choco Bill if she could stay at the ranch for a few days. So here she was, getting to pet and play with a baby chocobo that she'd just had the honor of watching hatch. Smiling and giggling, she leaned down to hug the little bird, laughing out loud at its expression as its new legs turned traitorous, dropping it back down in the hay bed with a little "whumph."

"You're so pretty. I like you!" she whispered, running her hands over the beak, scratching the particularly sensitive area of soft feathers right between its eyes. The baby closed its shiny grey eyes in happiness.

(I...like you) Marlene stopped abruptly, glancing up at Billy. Seeing him involved with gathering food supplies for the other chocobos, she knew he hadn't been standing close enough to say anything. Besides, it seemed like it had only been inside her head. Puzzled, she jumped a little as the baby chocobo nudged her shoulder with its beak, begging for attention. She turned herself back to the charming little creature. Billy whistled as he went about his work, pausing to hand her a small pail of water-soaked tender green shoots.

"I figger, since he seems ta have taken a liking to ya, ya may as well feed the little bugger." A wink and a smile and he was off on his rounds. She picked a few strands of the chewy green leaves and held them out, laughing as the chocobo nibbled them first, tasting them. Deciding he apparently liked it, he snatched the handful from her fingers and swallowed it in one gulp, immediately begging for more. Billy's head poked over the stall.

"Hey, munchkin, my pa's callin' me. You cool if I leave you with the birds while I go see what he wants?" She nodded happily. "Great! I'll be back in a few. Hey," he said as he strode towards the barn door, "I think the little guy might need a name. Think on it, see if you can find one he likes."

"I can name him! COOL!" Billy smiled at her obvious elation as he walked out the doors.

[cute little kid – really seems ta like them birds]

She never even noticed him leave.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The silence seemed to drag on and on forever, through the eternal length of a heartbeat or two. Chocolate eyes met those of Make green, neither person moving, nor blinking, nor speaking. A part of him noticed her attire - or lack thereof - the upswept hair, the swells and curves covered by the amazingly snug sleep shirt, buttoned just high enough to make things interesting, and the miles of toned legs that were not given the same protection.

With a sudden jolt, she disappeared like a ghost around the corner and into the bedroom, only the sound of her barricading the door offering proof that the entire encounter was more than a figment of his admittedly confused mental state. The idea of following her never even crossed his mind...nor did the fact that his dinner had recently passed "perfection" and was rapidly approaching "charcoal."

[That was Lockheart.]

(very good. you get a cookie.)

[What was her first name? Tanya? Tina?]

(Tifa)

[That's it! Tifa. Tifa...]

(so what's your plan?)

[Plan?]

(yes, plan. you have, living in your current refuge, one of the people responsible for creating your untimely end.)

[...killing me, you mean.]

(did I say that? no. I said what I meant.)

[But I died.]

(apparently not, or we wouldn't be having this conversation.)

[I didn't die?]

The voice sighed in very obvious exasperation.

(we'll discuss you later. what I want to know is what you plan on doing about her now.)

He pondered in silence for a while, absently turning the spit that held his now blackened and momentarily forgotten meal.

[Not much I can do, really. I think she's scared of me.]

(you are the absolute master of the obvious this evening.)

[I don't blame her. What I did - ]

(was NOT YOUR FAULT.)

[But she doesn't know that.]

(maybe you should try to convince her of that then. You are here for a purpose – that purpose being redemption. Why not start with her?)

[That's going to be difficult.]

(perhaps not as challenging as you assume)

[And that means?]

(that means…something you'll discover later. But if I might make a suggestion?)

[Please.]

Suddenly, the smell of charred meat assaulted his nostrils.

(go catch some more pheasants.)


	13. Chapter 13

She stood against the far wall where she'd decided to brace herself for the upcoming battle. She knew placing the trunk and bed against the door wouldn't stall him for long, but it would give her a few crucial seconds to…do what, she wasn't sure exactly. No slouch fighter, she'd trained in martial arts from a very young age, never really letting herself get out of practice. She had skill, strength, speed, determination.

[Against a man who nearly became a god? I may as well be wielding a feather duster and a marshmallow gun.]

Still, she refused to go down without a fight. Muscles tensed, breathing harsh, she prepared herself for the inevitable attack. He would not let her live, not this time. She watched and waited…and waited and watched…and waited…and…nothing. Silence upon silence, and the smell of burned meat. Tifa was confused. Were it not for the way her very soul had tingled in those brief, never-ending moments they'd experienced, she would have dismissed the entire thing as her overworked imagination running free. Especially as she could have sworn he was checking out her legs. Her mind interjected its two cents cynically.

[Yeah, Tifa. I'm sure the great, insane, deadly handsome General Sephiroth was getting hot over your legs.]

She had to admit it sounded…well, stupid. And vain. Tifa had no doubt she'd just seen her worst nightmare sitting in front of a fireplace. But she wasn't sure exactly what was going on.

[Why hasn't he come after me?]

A creak and a slam echoed through the small shack, and she jumped about a mile off the ground, only her quick reflexes keeping her from landing in a heap on her rear. Out of the corner of her eye she spied movement and bolted across the room to look out of the small window. There was no mistaking that height, that physique – obvious even in the rags he was wearing for some unknown reason – that gait. And there was definitely no chance of not recognizing that long silver hair shimmering gently even in the muted starlight. He was walking away from the cabin, striding easily and with obvious purpose through the calf-high snow.

[Where the hell is he going?]

She didn't know, but she planned to be long gone before he returned. Grabbing her stuff in a double armful she started towards the door, only to realize she had to put everything down again to unblock the room's only exit. Moving things out of the way, she grabbed her possessions again, this time having the presence of mind to stow it all unceremoniously in her bag. Slipping into her shoes, she bolted like a deer out through the small hallway, starting down the rickety stairs with the same speed. A crack preceded a sharp pain and a sudden lack of balance, pitching her forward as the rotted staircase gave way. In a split second she braced herself for impact, expecting anything but the feel of forcefully slamming into solid, cool muscle, bands of steely strength steadying her and holding her in place. Involuntarily she jerked, but he held her securely and carefully.

"If you want to break various bones in your body, there are easier ways to go about it, you know."

Startling, glowing emerald eyes gazed in amusement at her from above as Sephiroth lifted her from the wreckage of the staircase. Her eyes blinking, her mind tried to assimilate the events of the past minute – and failed miserably. With an anguished look, the stress and fear inside her seeking release, Tifa proceeded to humiliate herself even further.

[She fainted!]

(you noticed)

With one hand he set down his second catch of the night, sighing in resignation as he lifted her pliant form and laid her gently on the floor in front of the fireplace.

[This is going to be a long night.]

No response was necessary.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Thank the Ancients for small miracles.]

Vincent, his chocobo, and an exhausted Yuffie stood on the water several hundred yards offshore. The growling wail of their pursuer was clearly audible even from a distance, the creature being apparently unable to enter the water. Gently cradling the near-to-unconscious girl, Vincent was able to study the creature with impunity. But the longer he looked, the more puzzled he became.

It was tall, towering over the trees by many feet. What celestial light there was from the waking morning reflected dully from its golden-hued, apparently metallic hide. Even his preternaturally sharp eyes couldn't quite discern whether it was feathered, furred, scaled, bare, or some combination thereof. Indeed, it seemed to be changing even as he watched.

"It's taller," he whispered aloud, not even realizing he'd spoken until Yuffie answered, voice hoarse and raspy.

"It's been growing constantly…changing constantly…chasing…" With a shudder she buried her face in Vincent's cloak, seemingly in an attempt to crawl inside the man. Shifting slightly made it easier for him to hold her as she quaked and gasped in continual terror. He was a bit startled to see her reacting with such visible fear – he'd always found her a spunky young woman, regarding her stubbornness with a mixture of resignation and amusement, taken her moods much like he took everything else, never indulging himself in the frustration the rest of them seemed to hold towards her. To see Yuffie, so usually vibrant and defiant, trying to curl into a protective ball under his cape was strangely unsettling. Shocked to see that go-to-hell flame absent from her dark eyes, his anger and rage towards the thing on the beach flared.

He noticed it had turned its attention from his scared companion to a general rage, focusing now on anything that moved – namely, their other four friends still within its reach. Yuffie glanced up, obviously trying to control her reaction, and noticed the same thing a split second after he had.

"It's gonna kill them!" She buried her face once more, but not before he saw a surprising flash of shame cross her features. Not having time to think on that, he shifted carefully, bracing her against the chocobo's sturdy neck. She realized he was dismounting.

"Where are you going?! Don't leave me!!" Her anguished squeals as she launched herself into his arms cut remarkably close to home, but just as last time

[Lucrecia]

he had to go. This time however, he was not attempting to save himself, but something infinitely more important – his friends.

"Yuffie, you'll be safe. Here." He unhooked his cape and wrapped it around her. She stared at him, her dark, frightened eyes meeting and holding his own glowing flame-colored ones, and Vincent froze in their intensity, feeling something in his very soul crack. Shaking himself mentally he resumed what he'd been doing, sliding carefully off the chocobo's back.

"They need my help. Stay here." He dipped into the water and began swimming for shore.

"VINCENT!!"

He could hear her frightened yells even underwater, their tone resonating against something deep within himself, and he knew he had to block them out. He loosed the last iron bonds on the monster within and emerged onto the shore.

Chaos reigned supreme.


	14. Chapter 14

Soft, warm feathers tickled her neck. Marlene couldn't imagine a better vacation. She rolled onto her side, watching in amused pride as the baby bird explored the new world of walking.

"You need a name. Hmm. I'm gonna have to think about it." Flopping onto her back, she closed her eyes, letting the scent of sweet hay, fresh greens, and feathers soothe her.

[let's see, he's gold…kinda sparkly…he's a boy…what was Aunt 'Myra saying about golden things..? oh yeah, they're both soft and priceless…hmm]

Her train of thought was abruptly derailed by an agonized scream from the direction of the main house. Bolting to her feet, she tore across the barn to the door and stood in the shadows, looking out across the yard. What she saw froze her in place. Cloud was here.

She watched as he approached the barn, shivering in total fear as he got closer. Somehow she knew that the red on his sword, dripping sparkling ruby liquid in the grass, meant that Bill and Billy wouldn't be coming to save her. That fact broke her paralysis and she darted for the back of the barn. She ducked behind a huge stack of hay, knowing he was getting closer…

"week?"

The baby chocobo! Marlene was torn between safety and conscience. She knew Uncle Cloud was coming into the barn shortly, and some newly-awakened instinct told her he wouldn't care who he found, they were dead anyway. An image flashed through her mind of the baby bird, all bloody and lifeless, and she bolted out to the stall before she could think twice. Lifting the startled critter – heavier than he appeared, she realized – she carried him awkwardly to the haystacks, jamming him unceremoniously into the center of the pile and climbing in after him. A swift kick and the hay resettled around them, effectively disguising and hiding any evidence of their burrowing. In terrified silence, her hand gently holding the chocobo's beak closed, thankful he seemed to understand the need for quiet, she prayed.

[please, don't let Uncle Cloud find us]

From her buried position in the hay, tears streaming down her cheeks, she could hear the slaughter begin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Son of a bitch!" Barrett barely managed to dodge a tentacle as it came snaking out of the air towards his neck. Now that Yuffie was beyond its reach its rage turned elsewhere and seemed to suddenly notice the tiny creatures pelting and poking it. Barrett, being closest to the direction it was turning, got smacked across the face with a random appendage and was off balance still. Dodging almost constantly, attacking when possible, he could hear over the din the sounds of his other companions doing the same.

"Toy Box!" The shout preceded the sudden appearance of a collection of toy soldiers that took military aim and fired simultaneously before fading to nothingness. The monster hardly even flinched at the shots, choosing instead to deal Nanaki a backhanded blow that sent the big cat sprawling tail-over-head in the sand. Snarling, the red beast jumped back up and reentered the fray.

Still attacking, wishing he'd thought to equip more materia than he had, Cid jumped into the air, putting the force of his entire body behind the spear and jamming it downwards into the creature's now furry hide. He heard a satisfying squeal as the blade bit into the creature's shoulder. Yanking the lance free, he flung himself into midair to avoid the monster's lightning-quick swipe at his legs. He closed his eyes as the ground rushed up to meet him.

[This is gonna hurt…]

Pitched in battle as they were, none of them saw the gigantic beast free itself from the water and start deliberately up the shoreline towards them. However, no one could mistake the fury-filled snarl that rocketed through the air a scant second later, causing everyone on the battlefield to pause and turn. The golden fiend whirled around to face the new threat while the others, recognizing the new addition to their fighting team, backed off slightly. It was not a good idea to come between Chaos and his prey. The companions stood together watching as the beast, slowly and purposefully, closed with the giant golden-hued monster.

"Man…Vincent is pissed," Barrett muttered to no one in particular.

With anger-filled eyes Vincent/Chaos advanced on his prey. The monster, thankfully, abandoned the thorough thrashing it was giving his friends and focused wholly on the obviously enraged, clawed creature approaching.

Standing back, using miscellaneous potions and other supplies, the small group readied themselves to jump back into the fight. Nanaki was the worst off, not having had time to recover between his panicked flight with Yuffie and the battle that followed. Cid tossed the cosmoe an x-potion which he gratefully gulped down, feeling the soreness and fatigue fade away. The others hadn't fared so badly, and it wasn't long before everyone was up to their fighting best. Almost as one, they turned and began creeping up on their enemy. The realization dawned on them after a moment that creeping wasn't even necessary. They broke out into a dead run towards the two inhuman combatants.

Monster faced monster, blood already dotting the sandy soil like maroon paint splatters. Amazingly enough, Vincent/Chaos seemed to barely be wounded. Or perhaps not so amazingly if one took not of the madness and furor blazing in his eyes. However, with all of the hurts he had inflicted, the golden creature didn't even seem slowed. Ducking beneath a swinging arm, Chaos ran razor-sharp claws across the momentarily unprotected belly area, scoring both deeply and long. Hot blood splashed over his short fur and face, trickling into his roaring mouth, the metallic tang simply fueling his insane furor to even higher levels. He vaulted over the creature's next attack, landing outside its range, circling in preparation for his next unguarded attack.

Cid let out a low whistle as they all stood watching the fight in awe. "Hoo-ee, boy, never seen him that ticked off. Somethin's sure got him upset."

Back in his office, Reeve saw something odd and leaned forward on his elbows, staring through Cait Sith's eyes and speaking with the little cat's voice. "What's that?"

"What is what?" the cosmoe inquired, eyes still on the deadly battle before them.

"There, on it's forehead – erm – area, I guess. It's like a glowing X." Nanaki, Barrett, and Cid all looked up at the thing, seeing immediately what the dancing moogle was gesturing at.

"That looks like…" Cid started, only to be cut off by Barrett.

"That's Yuffie's Wind Slash! I'll be damned. What's that glowy gold thing in the center?"

"I wonder…" Without further announcement Nanaki took off like a shot, crossing the beach in a flash. "Vincent! Hit its head! Hit the gold orb!" He shouted as loud as he could while running, seeing Chaos' eyes shift to sanity for a gratifying moment while Vincent exerted mental control once more. By the time Nanaki reached the monster, the other three had come up right behind him. He spun to face his friends.

"Vincent's the only one that's got a chance of getting up that high to shatter the orb. We've got to distract that thing!" Agreed, they all readied their weapons. Cid turned to the big cat.

"Hey, Red, what the hell is that rock, anyway?"

"I'll explain later. Let's go!"

Nanaki and Barrett each took a side, while Cait and Cid began attacking the creature from behind. It was already wounded and the addition of more opponents made it scream and whirl in circles, trying to both get away and destroy its enemies. From Cait's eyes Reeve saw Chaos waiting for an opening…waiting…the flash of color as the demon leapt into the air was an undiscussed signal to increase the force of their attacks. The distraction worked, the creature focusing its attention on the four pain-inflicting creatures beneath rather than the single non-painful one climbing up its back.

Vincent/Chaos reached the thing's head and could clearly see the outline of the ninja's weapon embedded in the skin above its eyes, a shiny gold gem set in the center. Trusting his companions to keep the thing distracted, his claws found purchase on the constantly changing skin as he crept closer to the golden glow…closer…closer…

From Yuffie's vantage point out on the water she could see the reddish-blue demon crawling carefully across the thing's forehead. Unconsciously she held her breath, wrapping his cape closer around her. The chocobo seemed to sense something changing as well, shifting first one leg and then the other, waiting with barely concealed impatience.

[Vinnie…be careful…]

Yuffie's silent prayer sped over the water to the man within the beast. Thinking of the fear in the young ninja's eyes, Vincent focused all of his rage, his anger and emotion, and handed it over to Chaos. At the same time the golden monster realized it had been tricked and that the real threat was currently standing on its head. That realization came far too late. With a silent deliberateness somehow more terrifying than his earlier snarling viciousness, Chaos calmly slammed his talons forward and shattered the iridescent orb before leaping to the ground.

All six observers watched in silence as their enemy stumbled. Uttering a scream that would cause nightmares for years to come, the blood-drenched, beaten monstrosity fell bonelessly to the ground in a crumpled heap. Staring in confused amazement, all but one of the group watched as the enormous body shrunk and dissolved, losing first its metallic sheen followed quickly by any discernible appendages and limbs. Within moments it was nothing more than a shapeless mass of greying flesh, and moments later that flesh liquefied, absorbing into the moist sand at the water's edge. Only when the beast was almost completely gone did anyone notice the impressive chocobo sprinting across the water towards them.

"Vincent!!" Yuffie's agonized cry split the air as she vaulted off the black bird, cape flapping behind her as she charged past the startled group and collapsed beside the man who, in the grip of his inner demon, saved them all. The ninja knelt by his now human-looking form, stroking the long black hair gently, tears streaming unchecked down her face only to fall on the smooth skin of the unintentional hero.

"Vincent…" she sobbed. It was then that everyone else noticed what she had seen from chocobo-back yards away. Reeve spoke first.

"He's…he's not breathing…"


	15. Chapter 15

(Tifa…)

The quiet voice…it seemed so familiar…

(Tifa, come on)

Aeris! But Aeris was…was…was something…Tifa looked around. Everything was green. A gentle yet vibrant green. And in the green, regarding her with an affectionate smile…

[AERIS!]

She charged at her friend, intending to give her a hug, but felt instead her hands pass unhindered through a cool mist. A soothing embrace trickled through her mind, and she knew her intentions had been understood and reciprocated. It wasn't the bone-crushing hug she'd expected, but somehow, it was perfectly enough.

(I missed you, my friend)

[Where are we, Aeris? ] The flower girl shrugged.

(I'm not exactly sure. but don't worry, you'll be returning soon enough.)

[I'll be returning? But what about you?]

Tifa was filled with sorrow at the thought that the beautiful, sweet girl would not be coming with her.

(my return is up to you)

[Up to me? What? How? How can I help?]

(you will know when the time comes)

[What? What will I know? Aeris - }

(you will know. trust to help from unexpected places. but beware those you trust most.)

The other girl's voice was growing fainter the closer Tifa got to consciousness. She struggled to hold on to her friend.

[Aeris! Don't go! I don't understand!]

Another brief mental hug enveloped her confused and questioning mind.

(trust your instincts. bring me back. the Planet needs us all now, more than ever.)

[Aeris!]

No answer but the whisper of the wind.

"Aeris!!!" But Aeris was dead.

Her eyes snapped open to behold fire, bright yellow flames bouncing happily on old boards and crumbled furniture. Filled with terror, old memories of houses burning, people screaming, she jolted completely awake and looked around wildly, eyes floating over everything and seeing nothing…nothing, that is, until they locked on the green-eyed demon sitting two feet away from her. She screamed.

He turned to look at her. Seeing the stunned terror in her eyes and the remembered hatred blazing in their cocoa depths filled him with concern and

(sorrow?)

something else he refused to put a name to. He could tell she was paralyzed with shock, and he knew it would only take a brief second for that paralysis to wear off and for her to try to move. In the interests of preventing the fighter from doing more damage to her already-injured self he moved swiftly to her side, trying to ignore the way she flinched as he grasped both of her hands in one of his and held her still. His other hand rested gently but firmly on her stomach to keep her from bucking upwards and possibly dislodging the makeshift splint he'd fastened to her ankle.

"Calm down, Lockheart. I won't hurt you."

The bastard had her pinned. She struggled to get free of his grip but made about as much progress as a kitten trying to push a house. Her overworked, frightened mind was not registering the fact that he was indeed not hurting her. This was SEPHIROTH. If he wasn't immediately killing her it was because she was the rodent in some vicious, cruel cat-and-mouse game he wanted to play. Determined that, if nothing else, he would not have the satisfaction of hearing her scream, she clamped her mouth shut and stared defiantly up at him.

Seeing her face go from fear and panic to fear and resignation, he eased the pressure on her wrists a little. When she didn't even attempt to move, he let go entirely. Removing his hand from her midsection as well, he turned to check on her bandaged ankle.

The blow took him by surprise, and he felt his head reel with the force of it. Years of training and instincts kicked in and he easily dodged her next two strikes, grabbing her hands once more to put an end to any future attacks on his person.

"Will you behave, Lockheart? I said I wouldn't hurt you."

"Lying BASTARD!" Fear forgotten – there was nothing but rage and determination in her eyes now. Even knowing everything he'd put her through, he was still astonished at the heat blazing out at him.

[She means to kill me!]

(to try anyway. you should let her go and back off)

[What? If I do that she'll likely try to bolt, and on a broken ankle - ]

(well, she'll find out really quickly, won't she?)

Not seeing any other choice short of holding her down until she passed out again, he simultaneously let go and jumped back.

With one smooth motion she was free and he was across the room. That was all it took. Tifa jumped to her feet – and crumpled in pain so intense it made her vision blur. Confused, she looked down at the strips of material and thin slats of wood that adorned her aching ankle.

"What the hell did you do to me, you sick fuck?!" She was beside herself with anger, and he thought it prudent to keep his distance and make his responses light and minimal. Quirking an eyebrow heavenward, he looked at the struggling brunette.

"Well, I splinted your ankle after you broke it crashing through what used to be the staircase." He gestured at the pile of rubble below the landing they occupied. "If you'd like, you are more than welcome to take the brace off. But I am not currently in possession of any sort of restorative items or materia, and I don't believe you are either. And walking on an un-supported broken ankle is said to be an excruciating experience." He grinned wryly at her, taking note of her obvious confusion. "But by all means, if it is what you wish, be welcome to it. I am going to resume my dinner preparations."

With that, he walked past her to the fireplace, acting far more nonchalant than he actually felt. The voice howled with laughter.

(way to go! she's going to feel really dumb really quick. either she admits you're right, thereby trusting you against her will, or her own stubbornness will cause her more pain than you ever would,)

He wished he felt like laughing, but he was too concerned about the spunky hellcat with the wounded paw. He forced a disinterested expression as he turned the newest spit of pheasants, noticing with pleasure that they were almost done. When he turned around she had not changed position, but merely expression, regarding him with puzzlement and no small amount of distrust before glancing at their surroundings. He sighed inwardly.

[She's going to be difficult, I know it.]

Tifa was profoundly baffled. She was sitting on the floor in front of a cheery fireplace, with a not-so-cheery ankle, while the man responsible for burning her hometown, cruelly murdering the only close female friend she'd ever had, and nearly destroying the entire planet stood three feet from her…cooking dinner? He turned, and she looked away, at floor, at ceiling, at anything but the silver-haired man tending the food. She quickly realized that her body, selfish as always, was interested in only two things. First, her ankle was definitely broken. And he was right, she didn't have any healing supplies with her. Which meant the splint would stay…for now. Secondly, she was starving. Uncaring of the mental turmoil she was in, her physical self insisted that she assuage at least the second of its two discomforts. Insisted rather vocally, as a matter of fact. A shadow interrupted her thoughts and she glanced up to see a cooked bird of some sort being handed to her.

"By the sounds of things, you could use some dinner as well."

Against her will her eyes traveled upward, noticing first the slender fingers that held the skewered fowl, then the lean, toned arm attached, taking in the defined musculature that was somehow more enhanced by the cast-off clothes he wore than should be legal. All time stopped, however, when her gaze traveled far enough upwards to meet those intense green eyes. She suddenly felt warm, though she had no idea why. With a mumbled phrase of something that sounded like gratitude, she hoped, she accepted the sumptuous-smelling food and dug in, all other musings suppressed beneath the immediate appreciation of her meal.

With a hidden grin, Sephiroth carefully moved the rest of the food far enough away from the fire to keep it from cooking any further while still keeping it warm, only then grabbing a bird of his own. Sitting silently a few feet from his unexpected houseguest he began to eat his meal. He noticed with no small amount of satisfaction that Tifa had devoured half of her helping already. He was still worried about her, but startlingly, his predominant thoughts were of how unintentionally entertaining she was. He decided to see what he could find out.

[I wonder if she knows she was blushing.]

(oooh, don't tell her. she hates to think anyone can get her to blush.)

[Why is that, do you suppose?]

(because she can't stand it if people think her weak or emotional.)

A sudden flash of curiosity went through his mind.

[How do you know that?]

(because she was one of my only close friends)

[Wait…who are you?]

The voice began chuckling softly at first, then picking up volume. Knowing he was being laughed at flared his temper.

[What is so funny?]

(you are)

He blinked in perceived insult, which the voice was remarkably quick to pick up on.

(no insult – I'm just amazed you haven't asked earlier)

[Well, now I'm asking. Who are you?]

(you really have no idea, do you? no wonder, as we've never really had any sort of conversation not triggered by Jenova)

Miscellaneous images found their way into his mind, but after his previous experience with memories he was understandably reluctant to concentrate on them. From the quick glimpses, however, one person began to stand out. As before, he unconsciously grabbed hold of one moment in time…the sensation of falling…his bared blade…the Planet's sacrifice to survival kneeling in earnest prayer…

"HOLY CETRA!"

(bingo)

Tifa looked up in surprise as she heard his voice ring out in stunned shock. To her utter bafflement, the man who had slaughtered hundreds in an attempt to rule the Planet slumped to the ground in a dead faint. After a few moments she did what she assumed any rational person in her unique, peculiar circumstances would do.

She helped herself to another pheasant.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been silent for too long. She knew he was gone by the total absence of noise save for her breathing and that of her small feathered companion. Loathe though she was to leave their safe haven, she knew they couldn't stay buried forever. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her strength and climbed out of the hay.

The smell hit her first, hit her hard, made her gag. But it was her eyes that provided the unwelcome images that would cause her nightmares for years to come.

So much blood. Everywhere, everywhere. Absorbing, making soft, dry dirt into clay that stained the shoes. The coldness on her knees as it seeped through her skirt was the only indication to her numbed brain that she'd moved at all. Crawling blindly to the side she emptied her stomach of all it held, leaving only the grief and the horror that was cold indeed. Feathers, once shimmering in colors vivid, now clumped and bedraggled and bloody, shimmering no more. The wholesale slaughter had spared no one and nothing, and never before had she felt so terrified. Or so alone.

Forcing herself to her feet once more, holding a splintered support beam to steady herself, she learned quickly how to retreat into her own mind. As of that moment, that fraction of time, her childhood was murdered as surely as the beautiful chocobos and their open, friendly caretakers had been. Though she, perhaps thankfully, could not see their bodies, she knew in her soul that she was the only human left to bear witness to this needless destruction. Sinking to the floor once more, she curled up into a small shivering ball, thinking not only of everyone and everything lost, but also of one little girl, survivor in a dimension of death, with no one to hold her hand.

A few moments passed before, comforting and appreciated, one other living being toddled out to land beside her with a soft "whumph." At the baby bird's gentle nuzzling touch, Marlene wrapped her arms around him and cried.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Damn them for making things difficult.)

His patience, such that it was, was at an end. Long strides carried him unconcernedly away from the carnage he had wrought. Walking with no intentional direction or purpose, he soon felt the soft mud of the swamp begin to pull at his boots.

(They should have told me where she went. Lying served no purpose.)

[Perhaps they weren't lying.]

He let HER soft statement tickle his mind as he amused himself with a Zolom, the huge snake falling far too easily and quickly to do much more than fuel his destructive temper. Seeking out another one he began systematically, and almost absently, hacking it to bits as his mind wandered.

(She'd need transport. Where else would she get…)

He stopped in mid-slice as memories from earlier times flitted through his brain.

[Highwind.]

(That's where she went.)

Without another glance spared for the once-deadly snake, now just so many bleeding chunks of flesh, screaming in agony through what used to be its mouth, the blond man walked quickly in the direction of Rocket Town and the man with the airship. The Zolom's anguished cries continued for only a moment before its kin mercifully began to feast.

Survival, after all, was everything.


	16. Chapter 16

Her hand never left his hair. They were all still worried, but Lord Godo's healer was exceptionally skilled, and he assured the group that the dark-haired man was simply unconscious, most likely due to fatigue and stress. He would awaken, the healer said, once the pain and strain had faded. After the man left, promising to stop back in later that evening to check on the sleeping fighter, the companions slumped into various seats or, in Nanaki's case, the floor. By mutual unspoken agreement, all decided the time for explanations would come after they had rested their minds and bodies from their recent ordeal. One by one, they dozed, and within a few moments the sounds of deep, even breathing and the occasional snore attested to everyone's need to succumb to exhaustion. All, that is, but one.

Cloak still fastened around her shoulders, the ex-Turk's head resting in her lap, Yuffie let her head lean back against the wall as she hummed a soothing melody, fingers never stopping in their smooth journey through his hair as the young woman watched over her unlikely savior. Slowly her eyes closed as well, and the room stilled at last.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

She awoke to the muted sound of someone else's moaning and her own pain. Blinking sleep-fogged eyes, it took her only a moment to remember everything. Fear and apprehension returned with startling speed as her gaze shot to the side where she saw her very mussed and rumpled unwanted companion, also blinking himself awake in seeming confusion. She chuckled, not realizing how loud it would sound in the near-empty room.

(hee hee – looks like Shin-Ra's golden boy isn't always so sleek and perfect.)

At the sound of her chuckle his eyes snapped open and he was on his feet, ready to face danger before he was even totally awake. But, with standing, reason returned, and with reason came remembrance. He glanced down at the floor and his eyes widened in utter enjoyment of the view.

Tifa nearly gasped aloud as those sparkling green eyes lit even brighter, filled with an expression she never thought those oh-so-aristocratic features capable of displaying – pure masculine appreciation. It took a moment to drag herself out of his eyes long enough to realize what he was staring so openly at. With a gasp she tried to simultaneously re-button her disobedient night shirt and clamber to her feet. Her movement broke the spell and as the pain lanced through the ankle she'd forgotten was broken, she watched almost disappointedly as the fire in his expression was replaced in a blink by his usual façade of slightly condescending amusement.

(too bad…he's actually pretty damned hot)

The voice inside her head could not possibly belong to her, Tifa thought. No way was she sitting here in excruciating pain musing about how attractive the psychopath in front of her was. Without conscious thought her eyes returned his scrutiny, lingering on the broad shoulders and toned chest still hidden by the ragged shirt before sliding down past his trim waist to those incredibly muscled legs. With a jolt she yanked her eyes back up to his face just as he spun around to stoke the fire. Had that been a hint of color on those high cheekbones?

(Sephiroth, blushing? No way.)

She turned her mind to the unpleasant task of re-situating herself without further hurting her ankle or opening her less-than-modest sleepwear any further – a task made marginally easier by the fact that he was still facing the fireplace.

[Oh ho ho – so the mighty warrior has modesty?]

The voice – Aeris' voice, he now knew – was definitely entertained.

(She was sizing me up like a…a piece of meat!)

At that, the Cetra in his head howled with laughter, and he was infinitely glad he was facing away from the girl on the floor as that meant she couldn't see his chagrined expression.

(Fine. Laugh. I don't find this at all amusing.)

[Let me assuage your ego by pointing out that you can't possibly be oblivious to the fact that you are one stunningly attractive man. Besides,] she continued as he digested that, [with the way you were ogling her legs and cleavage, turnabout is fair play.]

(She does have incredible legs…)

The young flower girl kept laughing, and he felt himself smiling along, even though he refused to be amused as he was still not happy. No, he wasn't laughing at all. Not even the slightest. His mouth twitched.

[Well, since you now know who I am, and it's obvious you two don't need introductions, I'll leave you to your guest. Be careful though…she still doesn't trust you. And it's up to you to change that.]

(Aeris?) he called, but she was already gone. With a barely audible sigh he worked on building the fire back up.

Having been unable to cross her legs under her as was her habit, Tifa scooted herself back against a still-unbroken portion of railing, re-buttoning her disobedient nightshirt and pulling it down as far as it would go over her legs – which, being mid-thigh, wasn't far enough for her tastes as she had to sit with her legs out in front of her. A wry, familiar voice broke into her thoughts.

[I don't see why you're so bothered about showing a little skin. This shirt covers more than that skirt of yours did, and you had no problem strutting around in that and giving the guys something to think about.]

(Aeris!) Tifa was overjoyed. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she didn't question how her friend was managing to speak to her – she was just happy to talk to her again outside of a dream.

[So what's your plan?] the flower girl asked.

(Plan? What plan?)

[C'mon, Tifa, you're in an abandoned cottage with _Sephiroth_, running from _Cloud_. This seems a little odd, don't you think?]

Not noticing the man in front of her half-turning to regard her from seemingly disinterested eyes, she closed her own and leaned her head back against the banister post.

(I don't know. I'm waiting for that fucking psycho to kill me. At this point, it will either be him or…hey, wait, how did you know about…about Cloud?) Shame and regret tinged her thoughts and she felt the comforting aura of the Cetra envelop her.

[I know it all. How is irrelevant.] Aeris sighed before continuing. [Oh, Tifa, I'm so sorry for all you've gone through!]

The compassion that rolled over the fighter caused tears to start creeping, unnoticed, from beneath her closed eyelids. Sephiroth stood there watching silently as the crystalline drops left tracks down her smooth cheeks. Ignoring the unwanted, unexpected urge to go wipe them away, he instead turned quietly and walked past her, jumping lightly to the lower level and heading outside to hunt some more. It was going to be a long long day.


	17. Chapter 17

When Yuffie opened her eyes, she saw everyone staring at her and knew Nanaki had told them about her materia. She wasn't even completely coherent yet when the barrage started.

"You fool girl!" exclaimed Cid, ever-present cigarette jutting from the corner of his mouth. "Didja ever think that you could get us all killed!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she began, but was immediately ignored.

"Yeah! You're sorry now! Almost killed Vincent, but now you're fuckin' sorry. You an' your stupid-ass materia hunting! We toldja and toldja to stop the fuckin' stealin', but NO, you just had to go to Sephiroth's grave an' bring back a hunk of what-the-fuck-ever!" Barrett was pacing, his already foul language getting worse as he fumed. Cait Sith just kind of stood to one side, and Nanaki didn't speak up at all, but the other two AVALANCHE members more than made up for their silence. Yuffie was tired, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and shrunk under the onslaught. Cid picked right up where Barrett left off.

"Next time you decide to get yourself offed, leave us the hell out of it! Damn sneaky ninja brat! Look what just-"

"Shut up." The quiet voice nonetheless held an insane amount of authority, a dangerous edge making it cut through the louder yelling like a scalpel through unprotected flesh.

"Vinnie?" Yuffie's worried voice whispered out as she looked down at the now-awake fighter in her lap. His crimson eyes looked into her platinum ones, the emotion in the red depths something she had never seen there before. He broke off the eye contact almost immediately, though, looking back at the rest

"Vin!" Barrett yelled, ignoring Vincent's wince at the shortened name. "You made it!"

"No thanks to Miss Sticky Fingers over there," muttered Cid. A soft growl shut him up. It wouldn't have been startling coming from Nanaki, or even Cait to a degree. But the vicious sound had come from the man currently laying on his back with Yuffie's fingers tangled in his hair, and that fact shocked Cid into silence.

"Yuffie may not always make the wisest choices," Vincent said softly, "but without her decision to expand her ever-growing collection of materia -" here he glanced wryly upward to where the little ninja sat, almost afraid to move for fear of hurting him, before returning his attention to the standing duo. "-we would never have known a very important thing. Jenova is back." Neither man had any response to that, so Vincent turned his conversation to Nanaki, correctly interpreting the cat's curious expression. "I could feel Jenova whenever I broke the mind orb," he stated simply. Nanaki nodded.

"I was telling the others earlier that the orb wasn't materia at all," the red cat said.

"Not materia?" asked Yuffie softly. Her fingers had never ceased stroking through Vincent's long ebony hair. "Then what was it?"

""Let me back up a bit, as you were asleep when I began my explanation." He looked at Vincent, who nodded but made no move to get up. Nanaki, though young by the standards of his kind, was nonetheless old enough to know when to keep his mouth shut. Barrett, on the other hand, was not.

"Hey, Vin, why dontcha sit up? Those bony legs of hers must be hella uncomfortable." The big man laughed at his own joke, not seeing the look on Yuffie's face. She made as if to shift, embarrassment burning through her, but a hand on her leg made her stop and look down into Vincent's eyes once more.

"Stay?" he asked, looking as surprised by the request as she was. Wordlessly, for she couldn't seem to find her voice, she nodded and settled back down. He lay back against her and blinked at Nanaki, who thought it best to continue speaking.

"Now as I told the others earlier, Jenova was a parasite. Coming to the planet centuries ago, she infected it and eventually set about to trigger its demise - or would have, had we not stopped her. I realize we all know this, but I bring it up to illustrate a point. What else are parasites known for?" Reeve's voice through the Cait-cam was worried.

"Breeding." Nanaki nodded.

"Exactly. Therefor, we may have killed Jenova, but there are still seeds of her essence infecting the planet, each of them with the same deadly capabilities of the host. By themselves, the seeds will not germinate - I believe it's something in the genetic makeup. But if by some chance they come in contact with one another..." Here he trailed off, and no one spoke for a long while. Yuffie was the one to break the silence.

"So...my materia..." Her wide eyes looked at Nanaki in fear, and he nodded once

"Pure essence of Jenova, crystallized for convenience."

"Convenience?" asked Cid, stomping out his cigarette and pulling out another one, lighting it in an offhand motion. "Convenience for what?"

"You've seen milkweed seeds, correct? They have the little wisps attatched to catch air currents and ride them to other locations, to land and grow wherever. Most forms of plant life are designed for easy germination. I believe this is Jenova's way - to lure unsuspecting people to remove the cells and eventually have them gather in one place."

"Who'd be that stupid?" Cid said, before all eyes turned to focus on Yuffie. She seemed to shrink even further, and Vincent could feel her subconsciously try to burrow into his cloak. Without thinking he moved his hand back to her leg, stroking the smooth skin comfortingly. She stilled, but not before everyone in the room had time to stare in shock. Vincent, being comforting? To Yuffie? Nanaki drew the focus back to himself before either of the two could feel self-conscious.

"Actually, whereas our dear little materia hunter would seem the most likely choice, she only took one - though I would imagine there were other orbs scattered around, correct?" Yuffie murmured an affirmative. "No, I think the person we should most likely try to talk to would be a collector, someone who enjoys the acquisition of rare objects."

"Dio," said Cait softly from the corner. The cosmoe nodded.

"Exactly. He's an avid collector of anything unusual. He would probably jump at the chance to own something as odd as the golden orbs." Vincent yawned quietly, unnoticed by anyone but the keen-eyed cat and the ever-watchful ninja. "However, I think what we need right now is rest, and a lot of it. None of us are back to peak performance after our battle this morning, and I know I would like to find something to eat." Nanaki stood, arching his back as he stretched. "I think we should all go and check into the rooms they've so thoughtfully set aside here for us. Yuffie, would you mind watching Vincent for a while longer? The healer should be here any moment, and I'm sure he'll have questions that Vincent may not have answers to." Yuffie nodded, eyes wide, but Nanaki chose not to comment. Cid grinned.

"Hell yeah, let's go find food. I'm starving." He paused, turning to Vincent and Yuffie. "Since you're still down and you're on babysitting duty, do you want us to send something back here to eat?" Yuffie, still too worn to respond properly, just nodded.

"That would be very much appreciated, Cid," said Vincent quietly.

"No problem. Now let's go get food. My big guts are eatin' my little guts right now. An' I really want a beer." Barrett and Cid walked out first, followed by Cait Sith who, though he didn't have to eat, was controlled by a man smart enough to realize the ploy the big red cat was pulling. Nanaki was the last to leave.

"Red?" whispered Yuffie. He turned his head back. "Thank you." A feline grin crossed his features as he walked out the door. Yuffie looked down at Vincent, only to find herself lost in the depths of his eyes as she sat there. She knew she was blushing, but didn't have the strength to care.

"Are you okay?" the dark-haired ex-Turk asked quietly. She nodded.

"Just tired. What about you, Vinnie?" Without thought, she reached down and brushed an errant lock of hair from his forehead, blushing even more when he just looked at her.

"Better," he said simply.

"Mr. Valentine? Miss Kisaragi?" The healer's voice as he stepped into the small room broke their gaze, both of them looking away hurriedly. As the healer began his cursory examination of the man laying in her lap, Yuffie found herself wondering what exactly had just happened.


	18. Chapter 18

It was getting dark when she came back to herself again. Surrounded by death, she had been laying there for hours, and it wasn't until a soft rumble echoed in her ears that Marlene even bothered to raise her head. She realized that she'd heard her own stomach, empty now that she'd purged its contents, complaining about its lack of sustenance. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to eat, but she knew she would have to try. Her body was on autopilot as she stood, ignoring the way the wet dirt squished under her shoes. Moving like a robot, she found a few pails of greens in the back corner of the barn and picked them up. She didn't think, didn't look around. The only thing that gave her pause was when she passed by the baby chocobo. He'd slept through her movement, though she'd been curled around him in her daze, but once he smelled the food she carried he was awake and giving soft 'week' sounds.

"Come on," she said, her voice thick with sorrow and pain. "I'm not eating in here." She made her way outside, not stopping until she was under a tree at the far end of the property. The sun was completely set, only the golden glow at the edge of the horizon attesting to the fact that it even existed, and Marlene dropped to the ground with a thud, joined in short order by the baby bird. Mechanically, she reached into the first pail and held out a handful of water-soaked shoots, which he took happily. Again and again she fed him, until he was full and content. With the same absence of thought she began to chew on a green herself, finding to her shock that, though slightly biting, the taste wasn't half bad. She lay back, still chewing, and pillowed her head on the chocobo's flank, watching the stars begin to creep out of hiding and take their places in the darkening sky. She felt tears building again but pushed them down.

"Never again. I am never going to cry again." She repeated it over and over, her new mantra, until she felt the tears recede. After what seemed like a lifetime she sat up, staring through the darkness at the farm but seeing only the inside of her own thoughts.

"If Daddy comes looking for me, he'll come here first. I have to stay here. But I am NOT going back in the barn, or into the house." Somehow having even a small plan of action made her feel a bit better. She looked back at the baby bird. "I guess it's just you and me until they come back," she told him. He just blinked his big eyes at her, and she lay back down. The stars kept their vigil as she dozed off, completely and thoroughly exhausted, and the little bird kept watch as well.

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Shera was reading, the lamplight's flickering glow adding to the ambiance of the horror book she was working on. It was her guilty pleasure. Cid never understood why she'd read 'all that crap about ghosts and shit', but to her mind nothing was quite like a good scary story to while away the hours. She reached for her glass only to find it empty, so after marking her place with her bookmark she stood and went to the kitchen to refill it. While she was getting the chilled juice from the icebox, something struck her as odd. There was no sound. No animals, no nothing. Even the wind was silent. It was creepy in a way, especially after reading the book she'd been immersed in, but she marked it off as her overactive imagination. She was placing the pitcher back in the fridge when she noticed movement outside. She idly crossed to the window, staring at the figure that was striding up the main street of the town. A feeling of unease swept through her. Something was not right. It was then that she recognized him.

"Cloud?" she mused aloud. "What does he want?" She had the impulse to go open the door and greet her friend, but something held her back, some sense of...well, of not-right. Shera placed the glass on the counter and stood, riveted in place, as he came closer and closer, and the closer he got the more scared she felt. Never one to ignore gut feelings, she backed slowly away from the window, hoping he wouldn't have seen her. However, at her slight movement he stopped and looked straight at her. He was still too far away for her to make out details, but his eyes were glowing. That was all it took. Something was definitely wrong. With a gasp she bolted, noticing as she moved from the window he broke out into a run. She darted in through the house, back the hallway, looking for some place to hide and finding nothing.

"SHERA!" His voice even sounded wrong. It was cold, harsh, like death personified, and the most intense fear she'd ever known forced ehr to her knees. Struggling, panting, she pried herself off the floor and dove into the back room, the one they were using for storage for now. She hid behind the gigantic box that had arrived earlier today and reached into her pocket to pull out her PHS. Flipping it open, she winced as she heard crashing from the livingroom, Cloud's wordless yelling getting louder the closer he got. It took her fear-frozen fingers several tries to dial the number, and when she finally heard it ringing on the other end, she almost sobbed in relief.

"Shera, what the hell do-" Gasping at how loud his voice was, she tried to muffle the receiver with her hand. It was no use. She knew he had heard it - she could hear him making his way down the hall. It was only a matter of seconds before he found her hiding spot.

"Cid - Cid! It's Cloud!" Her voice was faint, but she didn't dare get any louder for fear that he'd find her that much quicker. A crash from their bedroom next door had her panting in terror.

"Shera! What the hell -"

"Cid! Cloud's here! He's-" The door crashed open and a hand reached over the tall box to grab her by the hair.

"Come here, bitch!" he snarled, yanking her forward. Her scream of pain echoed in the small room. In less than ten seconds he had her firmly in hand and had knocked her out, carrying her with him out of the house.

Left on the floor, the PHS transmitted Cid's panicked voice to the empty room.

"Shera? SHERA! Dammit, woman, answer me! Shera!"


End file.
